


Harry Potter and the Shattering Glass

by Wierdalien



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Aftermath, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Broken people, F/M, Original Character(s), Plot With Porn, canon pairings - Freeform, mental health
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-08-20 20:38:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16562750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wierdalien/pseuds/Wierdalien
Summary: Harry has survived the war. Can he survive the recovery of his emotional health? Follow his journey throughout the year of 1998-1999. Will he get through his emotional trauma, aided and abetted by that loveliest of ladies, Ginny Weasley or will his mind shatter under the weight of all those years of stress?(Not CC compliant).





	1. The Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Harry Potter and the Aftermath](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/432182) by Me. 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awoken by bad dreams, Harry is watching a storm roll across the countryside.

It was very early morning, one balmy July day, and the dark blue sky was a carpet of peace and serenity that was filled with a charge that was palpable. Below surrounded by large, rolling fields was the Burrow, all its residents were all in a deep but not undisturbed sleep. All were suffering horror in their dreams. All of them but one. One of the three young men who were currently abiding there was wide awake, standing, staring out of the small window of his girlfriend’s third-floor bedroom. This man was only illuminated by the bright moon, leaving him in silhouette but one could still see that his hair was short but stuck out at odd angles as if in a perpetual state of bed hair and that his frame was not as slim as it once was having bulked out from eating decent meals, after months of constant peril and bursts of intensive fighting. 

It had been little over two months previous, but his body had still not fully recovered from the Battle for Hogwarts or his death. His torso was still covered in cuts and bruises causing it to be a deep purple colour rather than his normal pale complexion. He tried to close the window shutters with his left hand but because of the lack of strength in that hand failed to do so causing him to sigh. He had broken his ring finger and shattered various palm bones in the explosion that had killed Fred Weasley and had, in characteristic stubbornness, refused to have his finger magically fixed after the battle as to serve as a reminder of all that he had lost in that final battle. It had finally healed but was now a bit bent and sometimes refused to flex and though it was slowly improving he didn’t really mind. At least he had his life and, he mused despondently, it went with the scar on his right hand that read faintly ‘I must not tell lies’.

He shuddered to think about the woman that had caused that particular imprint. She was currently languishing in Azkaban awaiting trial. He barked a laugh in his head that his most famous scar was now, finally after almost seventeen years, starting to fade. Albus Dumbledore's portrait suggested that it was happening because his soul was now entirely his own.

Harry Potter had been watching the impressive thunderstorm that had started just an hour earlier. He had been stood perfectly still watching how the gentle patter of drizzle, that had caused him to stir from his sleep, had grown into massive flashes of white light and electricity tearing across the angry sky. He felt sick watching the lightning that was striking the ground so far away. The scene dragged images to the forefront of his mind of that cataclysmic fight and the cold walk to through the forest to his death. As he thought about that clearing in the Forbidden Forest, his hand moved to the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, flashing back to that moment of clarity that he realised he was ready to die. With one particularly loud clap of thunder, he was transported back to that corridor and the explosion that shattered his hand, though he did not realise at the time, and killed Fred. As the night crept on he marvelled at how suddenly that terrifying storm had burnt itself out and had left this calm and beautiful blanket for the world. He was reminded of the Limbo King's Cross station where, at last, he had received the complete truth about his oldest friend and mentor.

Enjoying this calm after the storm, Harry stayed by the window for another five minutes, lowered his hand from his head before he quietly moved back to the bed in which his gorgeous, hot-headed and deeply intuitive girlfriend was still fast asleep despite all the noise. All Harry could think of as he sat on his side of the bed was how his future was so much brighter than it could have ever been before the death of Tom Riddle all those weeks ago. The realisation had started to sink in only three weeks previously whilst he was in this very bed, for the first time, cuddling up with Ginny. He smiled at the memory. 

Ginny had had a blazing argument with her Mother that had lasted all day over whether Harry could sleep in her room or in Bill's old room like he had been doing since Ron and Hermione had practically moved in together. They weren’t having sex they just had gotten so used to sleeping in the same room that when they tried to do so without each other they just couldn’t. So Harry had moved out but now he wasn’t sleeping and that was not fair. That was the basic thrust of Ginny’s argument anyway. Mrs Weasley, of course, saw it as black and white, Ron and Hermione were both of age whereas Ginny wasn’t. Ginny replied that this was ridiculous as she was going to be seventeen in all of six weeks. It took, as always, Mr Weasley separating the pair for over an hour before Molly finally, but was clearly still internally furious, capitulated albeit with certain conditions and allowed them to share the bed. That night was just perfect, after nearly a whole year apart, they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Well, Ginny in his arms.

Snapping back to the here and now he moaned in annoyance quietly as it transpired that in his absence she had completely stolen the double, Holy Head Harpies, duvet and a large majority of the bed. He was dumbfounded by the fact that such a short girl could take up so much space. As if reading his mind Ginny rolled over slightly so that a large portion of the covers was released. This movement revealed some of her, also naked, torso.

Ginny had been more and more daring over the last couple of weeks with her choice of clothing so as of two nights ago she was wearing nothing on her top half and just knickers on her bottom half.  She had got Harry into his boxers that night, by full on making out with him to distract him. Ginny had to distract him because the utter prat was being so noble again. She needed him in every way possible, in her words 'to fuck your brains out', but he stubbornly wanted everything to be perfect. Ginny told him she didn’t need or want perfect, she had him and that’s all that mattered. That had been their first shouting match, ever, and it had only occurred a couple of nights ago. It still hadn't fully resolved. Harry knew it wouldn't without much kicking and screaming on his part.

Still, looking at her now Harry couldn’t help himself and as he climbed back into bed he leant over to kiss her shoulder only to meet her mouth. After a few seconds they broke apart and he felt himself melt into her as she placed her hand on his face, her brown eyes boring into his own green ones. Harry felt as if Ginny had the ability to scan his soul. He pondered whether it was in fact given to her by none other than Albus Dumbledore, to keep him honest, because even in death, through portraits of him, Dumbledore could pierce Harry with such a stare that he could not help but feel like he was being stripped to the core.

“Where did you go, Harry? I felt you leave, but that was ages ago.” Her eyes were still scanning him. She looked genuinely terrified for him. He had been having all his old nightmares again lately and spending a large amount of time sitting in the chair to the side of the bed staring at Ginny who slept relatively blissfully until she tried to roll into him and he was gone, like now, and would wake up.

Her sleep was only relatively peaceful because at least once a night Harry would see the psychological trauma that the Carrows brutal torture disrupt her sleep as she dreamed. At those moments Harry returned to bed from the chair and wrap himself around her to protect her from the pain. He just wished she'd talk about it, but he knew that she was only going to open up when he did, and he couldn't just yet.

“I was standing by the window watching the thunderstorm that was happening over the hill. It’s okay, I’m coming back to bed now Ginny.” He tried to sound calm and happy, but something in him had broken. Ginny’s stare had caused all the memories of the people he had lost just rush through him like a river tearing down a dam. He felt all the guilt, both for leading them into that battle and for surviving; try and rip itself out, through his throat or even through his chest. Tears started rolling down his face. 

“Harry, Darling, are you crying?” Ginny sat up, letting the duvet fall from her body. Harry barely even registered it even though his face was practically buried into her chest because he was lying on top of her, though the quilt was separating them, his hands now either side of her lifting him away from her body.

“No. . .” he replied. This was clearly a lie as he said it through two, hacking, sobs. Harry all but collapsed into her chest so that she was cuddling him her hands wrapped around him holding him tight. 

“Harry do not lie to me. I love you and I want to help you but I can’t if you don’t open up.” Ginny leaned closer to his face so she was practically whispering in his ear. “What are you thinking about?”

“Them,” Harry said bluntly. His face was twisted in pain, just admitting it seemed to hurt his very soul. Ginny shocked him by rolling them over, displaying her full strength as because Harry had gained muscle mass he was almost twice her weight, so now they were both completely uncovered. It was easier, she found, talking to him when they were like this. Harry enjoyed being pinned down, by the seven stone eleven-pound girl, enjoyed relinquishing control. She took his left hand, kissed the breakpoint on his ring finger and placed his entire hand on her left breast squeezing it gently as she did so. Harry, again, didn’t even bat an eyelid at this. That had her very worried as, despite his attempts at nobleness when she did things like that, He normally melted into her mouth and they enjoyed hot and steamy make-out sessions. 

“Harry James Potter, What happened to them is not in any way your fault. It was Voldemort’s fault. He tried to take power, he enjoyed murdering people and he had to be stopped. They all would have fought even if you had never been born or if the prophecy had never been made and, yes, some of them would have still died. They knew what they were doing.” She said quickly but forcefully like this had been building for a long time, which in many ways it had been. Harry looked angry at her for trying to remove his guilt. She put her finger on his lips. “Shut up Harry and let me finish. They were fighting against a tyrant and there was always going to be casualties, this wasn't a war just to protect you. It was a war for the very heart and soul of the wizarding community and we all had to pick a side. I cannot say that I do not miss them. That would be a bloody lie, I miss them all more than I can explain and some nights I cannot sleep because I am too scared. I close my eyes and see their faces as I saw them lying there dead, fuck it, I see you dead and I just want to cry; though your presence helps me though and you ground me into the present and I get to cuddle up to you as you sleep. I can feel your heartbeat with my head and I know you are alive. The sound lets me sleep, even if the Carrow's rudely interrupt.” Ginny closed her eyes and sat up on his lap, so her face was in semi-darkness. It was her turn to start crying, gently though, as if the memories were washing over her like tiny waves at a lake. This caused Harry to break a little from his self-absorbed depression, his eyes snapped from Ginny’s tummy to her face, lingering a bit on her chest, even in this self-flagellating state, he couldn’t quite overcome this. He tried to look into her eyes, but he couldn’t meet them, he was too frightened. This was because when he finally did look into them, he might find the look of hatred and contempt in there that he knew he deserved for surviving where her brother had not.

He had actually had a conversation with George and Percy about this survivor's guilt when they had both been staying at the Burrow and Harry had found them together sobbing in the corner of the twins' old room. Percy hadn't been able to talk to his parents for four weeks despite, living with them; because he believed, because of his past despicable treatment of his family, he should have died and not Fred as it was not fair that a man who was so good-natured that he accepted Percy back into the fold without much prejudice should have been killed. The practical upshot of the conversation was George called him a stupid prat for being so depressive and in turn Percy offered to help with the joke shop, the brothers bonding again due to the loss. It made Harry feel better, some bridges were being mended out of the wreckage of others. Then Percy marched downstairs and hugged both of his parents apologising profusely until they were all puffy eyed with tears but all much closer for it.

Harry curled the fingers of his right hand into the top edge of Ginny's knickers so that he could sit up without disturbing her. That caused the tips of his fingers to brush along her hairline. He didn’t notice, because if he had, he would have just locked up even further for apparently going too far. With his left thumb, he wiped her tears away from under her eyes and finally managed to look into them.

“One day Ginny, I will tell you everything and I hope you will tell me about your adventures raising hell for the Carrows, but tonight is not that night. I am sorry, I just cannot forgive myself for getting Fred killed or Remus or any of the others. If only I’d have acted quicker or. . .” Ginny silenced him with a look and she leant over so, again, she was practically whispering in his ear, her breath made his hair stand on end and his body shiver with lust. This broke him completely out of his depression.

"Do you honestly think that I do not forgive you? I know why you refused to get your finger healed. It's your act of penitence and remembrance because you are a silly sod who believes this all his fault. You do not need any atonement. Not from me or the rest of the family. Why do you think I make a point of kissing your finger, Harry? To try and get it through that thick skull of yours, that I love you now as much as I did before. . .” Her tone was soft and calm but it cracked slightly when mentioning Fred. Harry nodded slowly then cocked his head to one side so he was looking at her, with extreme interest, pondering something.

“Ginny,” He said questioningly, with excitement starting to creep in still through tears though, “When did you get on top of me? Not that I mind or anything. Though can you lie properly on me? It feels so good having your naked chest against mine and to be honest I am now fed up of being depressed."

Ginny broke into hysterical laughing, causing Harry to jump a little in fright.

“Oh no, you do not change the subject like that, I love you Harry Potter and nothing that has happened has dented that.” She tried to look very stern, clearly channelling Mrs Weasley and Harry couldn’t contain the giggling. He wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her close, and kissed her. She joined in with giggling but pushed herself off him so she was sat upright.

“I know that Ginny. But right now I don’t believe it, give me time. I will give you everything, all that I am and know soon. I want you to know I love you too and I cannot live without you. Now where we were before?” He smiled as Ginny’s eyes glinted.  She rolled off and placed her head under his chin, her breasts resting against his chest, electricity coursing through both of them. Harry wrapped himself around her feeding his leg between hers whilst cuddling her tightly. “You think you are so funny, don’t you. I was giving you what you want.”

She just nodded and Harry felt her smile as he drifted, finally and for good that night, off to sleep.  

"Happy Birthday, Harry Potter you amazing, gorgeous, lovely, noble but very stupid sod." She whispered into his chest before falling asleep as well.


	2. Drink with Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has woken up on his 18th birthday. What will the wizarding world throw at him

That morning, Harry was forcibly and rudely awoken by a very small sharp object jabbing him in the nose. He wondered for a second whether he had left his glasses on his face and it was one of the arms. He realised it couldn't be when the pointy thing started to giggle in his ear, he opened his eyes and found himself looking into the massive eyes of Teddy and Ginny. Teddy's were currently the same emerald eyes that Harry’s eyes were, his hair the bright red of the Weasley's and he was wearing a baby-grow that was flashing, happy birthday Harry, in the same bubble-gum pink that was Tonk's favourite hair colour. Ginny, who had awoken and went downstairs for a drink only to be jumped on by Andromeda and her mother, had decided that it would be funny to get Teddy to poke Harry in the face after walking upstairs with the baby.

“Oh, hello little man, how did you get in here?” He asked the currently babbling four month-year-old, "Did Auntie Ginny bring you in here to terrorise me awake?" He sat up and took Teddy from Ginny, holding him close to his chest rocking him gently, wiggling his fingers, trying to get the little man to grab his fingers. However, Teddy was falling asleep again. "I thought I should be able to sleep in a bit, after all, it is my birthday. Though I must say you wearing my shirt does make up for it, doesn't it Teddy, Auntie Ginny looks amazing." He looked up from the little man to Ginny, who was currently straddling him, his shirt hitching up, so he could see her knickers and tummy. The sight made Harry grin manically. She blushed deeply, the colour creeping up to her ears. He rotated his left wrist to look at the time, “Bloody hell, its seven o’clock in the bloody morning, we didn’t sleep until three this morning.” he complained finishing in his head with the thought 'No wonder I feel rough this morning.'

"Hey, don't blame me, blame my mother, I don't think she trusts us alone, she invited Andromeda around absurdly early. Probably to keep them both busy, after all, everyone should be here for this, it is the first birthday after the war and it is the Chosen One's." She slipped off his lap to lay beside him, “it was always going to be difficult.” Her hand already wrapped around Harry’s jaw pulling him into a deep kiss.

“I can get used to birthdays like this.” He said when they stopped kissing to breath.

“You bloody better, I am sticking around for a lot more.” She grinned deeply and closed her eyes, enjoying just touching him. “Potter… You… Need… A… Shave.” She spluttered through Harry’s kisses that were running up her jawline. Giggling she sat up-right when he stopped to feel his face. He shrugged, nodding slightly and smiled again. Suddenly tired again though, he rolled on to his back, lowering Teddy on to his chest so all three of them could sleep. Ginny ran her fingers along his sternum and placed her arm around Harry and Teddy, her man and her surrogate little man. Harry knew that Ginny would miss them both terribly when she went back to Hogwarts. Harry was not intending to go back to school for the last year, if he couldn't get a job as an Auror he'd have to rethink his life, but he'd do at home with Teddy and Andromeda; it would be far too painful to go back. Harry did know that it would be very hard for Ginny, the Carrows had done their work, to go back as well, but she had too, Mrs Weasley would kill her and at least she'd have Luna and Hermione there. 

"So, what is my present?" Harry asked, lightly, trying to force it out of her. She just laughed.

"Not so fast Mr Potter. You will get part soon and part tonight."

Harry thought that his life couldn't much more perfect as he watched Teddy stretch his little arms and then curl up again, clutching the duvet with his tiny fingers.

What seemed to Harry only five minutes later, but was, in fact, two hours later, Ron and Hermione came in. Ron’s eyes rolled up the bed, narrowing as he followed the line of skin that was Ginny’s legs wrapped around the lump under the duvet that was Harry’s own leg; up their bodies to Harry’s arms; one under Ginny pulling her tight to him the other holding the tiny bundle close to his chest his eyes widening in relief. With Teddy there, they couldn't have been doing anything. Hermione just sighed partly in response to the scene, it was very cute after all, and partly because she felt Ron tense up like the arse he is.

"Harry, Ginny, mum was wondering where you were. She said she sent you up with Teddy two hours ago." Ron sat down the end of the bed with an almighty thump right next to Ginny's foot causing her to recoil and hit Harry's hand. Harry sat bolt upright causing teddy to slip from his hands and start wailing in utter shock. Harry slipped out of bed and started to walk around the bedroom, rocking the little man backwards and forwards gently, as he had seen Andromeda do on a few occasions. It seemed to be working as he calmed and settled down. Ginny glared at the back of Ron's head and reached surreptitiously for her wand. But Hermione stopped her with a glance.

"Well done Ronald. Seriously I have no idea what you were doing the day God was handing out tact. Let's get out of Ginny's room before she curses you with a bat bogey." Hermione said whilst basically pulling Ron out by the scruff of his neck. "Happy birthday, Harry." She booted Ron out of the room as Harry smiled and nodded.

Ten minutes later, after getting dressed and changing Teddy (who had been so shocked by Ronald that he weed himself), Harry walked into the kitchen to discover Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic, sat at the kitchen table chatting quite animatedly with Andromeda and Arthur. Teddy saw his Grandmother and started wiggling his fingers at her, in an attempt, Harry assumed, to make him take to Teddy to her. George, who hadn't fully left the burrow yet, was sat next to his father guffawing in the direction of the stove where Molly and Hermione were taking it turns to smack Ronald around the head, clearly still berating him for earlier. Harry felt behind him Ginny point her wand at Ron and watched as two seconds later several very large bats came shooting out of his nose causing George to actually fall off his chair on to the floor howling with laughter. Mrs Weasley shrieked something that sounded like 'Ginevra' to which Ginny walked out from behind Harry looking blissfully innocent. Ron by this point had stopped the spell and glared at her.

"Wasn't me, mum, it was Harry framing me." She said pointing at Harry whilst sitting next to her father who was clearly trying to suppress the urge to join George on the floor while pretending to chastise Ginny with his eyes. Harry looked suitably offended at the thought it was him whilst containing his own raucous laughter. He sat down next to Andromeda who kissed him on the cheek wishing him a happy birthday. Harry passed the bundle back to her who then started jabbering incessantly at her pointing vaguely at Harry making everyone in the room fall silent and smile.

 "Oh really Teddy, was it mean Auntie Ginny that hexed silly old. . ." Andromeda started replying to Teddy's random burbling, which seemed to now be in amazement at the room, when Ron cut across with a garbled noise that sounded a bit like 'well that's rich from you.' followed by Ron asking despondently 'What the bloody hell was that for?' which caused Arthur's and Kingsley's resolve to snap and they joined George in howling in laughter, even Mrs Weasley cracked a smile, as Andromeda merely sniffed and carried on, "Ronald, not brave uncle Harry?." Harry blushed and turned to look at Kingsley, who had just informed Ginny that he 'would ignore that blatant bit of underage magic just because he enjoyed watching Ron suffer.'

"Minster, why are you here?" Harry's tone was very confused.

"Ah Harry, your birthday of course but, please, call me Kingsley. At least in private company." He explained in his low slow drawl. Harry nodded.

"Don't you have a ministry to reorganise Kingsley? Can you really afford to take time off?" Harry, only semi-jokingly, queried.

"Harry, it's a Saturday, why do you think I am not in work?" Said Arthur still looking mildly amused over Ron's torture.

"However, now you brought up the ministry I have a career offer for you, consider it as my present to you." Kingsley continued.

"Honestly, I have no idea what the day is, I know that it is the 31st of July at 9:15 in the morning but I'd be buggered if I can tell you the day. A job Kingsley? It had better not involve too much paperwork. Don't ask Hermione about my paperwork ethics." Harry looked intrigued and hopeful at Kingsley, suspecting he knew what was coming.

"Ha! No need, I have been informed by McGonagall of that fact already. Still, I want you and Ron to join the Auror training in September or October. Of course, you go back to school and finish if you'd like but you don't need to. McGonagall, Jack Anderson, who is the new head of the Auror Department, and myself agree that you have enough practical experience to make up for your lack of N.E.W.Ts. You will be training for probably a year, year-and-a-half rather than the three, we need new Aurors plus you two already know how to fight, escape and evade etc to an acceptable standard." He smiled at Harry's blank, slightly gormless, expression stunned from shock, it was even better than he had hoped.

"Ah Harry dear, happy birthday, how are you this morning? Hungry?"  Mrs Weasley cut across his shell shock as Ron sat down next to him with an equally stunned expression, but he was doing an impression of a guppy instead of just being blank.

"Yeah, I am bloody starving Mum. Oh, and he is fine this morning if a little tired he didn't sleep properly." Ginny said in a falsely sing-song voice, amused with herself, adding the piece about Harry when Molly gave her a dirty look.

"Oh and why was that little miss?. . ." Mrs Weasley asked leadingly, clearly trying to find out if they had been shagging as she placed breakfast in front of both Harry and Ginny. Ginny made a noise that sounded like 'don't be fucking stupid' to Harry, making him blush again and broke him out of his shock, but said out loud.

"Nightmares." Whilst chewing on a piece of pancake, like it was nothing. Ginny knew that Harry didn't need her mother fussing and he was grateful for her existence so smiled at her and she smiled back but didn't quite meet his eyes. He knew he was going to get in trouble later for something.

Molly seemed to get the message and dropped it returning to talk to Hermione. Arthur and Andromeda stood up and went into the living room where Bill and Fleur were sat, having also got the day off work. George excused himself to go to the shop and left promising to be back with Percy later wishing Harry a happy birthday and back slapping Ron, chuckling at his misfortune. Harry only half heard him and mumbled thank you, before turning to Kingsley, who was currently biting into a sausage.

"Wow Kingsley," Harry shoved Ron in the side with his elbow, who immediately looked more in focus. "Ron and I would be honoured to accept. A year and a half? Does that mean that pretty much we'd be going straight in the exams?" Harry asked excitedly. This was good news, it meant that he would not miss much more of Ginny than Ginny would miss of him by going to Hogwarts. He saw Ginny snap round and gaze intently at Harry like she was boring into his soul again. Her eyes were still not looking at his eyes though.

"Yeah near enough, though I hear your potions are still a bit wobbly, so we will spend a sometime getting them up to scratch and sending you to St. Mungo's to learn healing spells etc," Kingsley explained.

"Brilliant," Harry exclaimed out-loud when Ron just groaned at the thought of Potions causing Kingsley to laugh again.

"Harry, dear, would you like to open our presents to you now?" Mrs Weasley asked him after he cleared his plate. He nodded and stood up and followed her into the living room, everyone else following, lazily, behind him. "Now, Harry, I know you said you didn't want us to get you anything because you were living with us and everything, but we ignored you." Mrs Weasley said.

"And before you complain, we didn't spend any money on it. It's something we should have done from the very first day you came to stay." Mr Weasley said, joining them and handing Harry a long thin box, to which he looked perplexed. Mrs Weasley motioned for him to open it.

Upon opening it he found it contained a metal object that looked rather like a very flat spoon. However, at closer inspection, it turned out it was his very own hand for the carriage clock that hung in the corner of the living room. Harry was speechless and pulled both of them into a powerful hug. He was now officially a member of the Weasley extended clan.

"We thought that now was a good time to set that to rights, you are with Ginny and you will be moving out into the world by yourself and we thought you should have someone looking out for you." Mrs Weasley explained as she hugged Harry, who just smiled weakly too stunned for words. After they broke apart, they all sat down in various places, pulling out boxes from cupboards and handing them to Harry.

Ron and Hermione gave Harry two cameras, one magical, one muggle, just for the sake of it. Hermione also got him a book of a brief history of Godric's Hollow. Well, it wasn't a birthday without the obligatory book. Bill and Fleur hadn't really got him anything, but they had managed convinced the goblins of Gringotts to at least allow Harry into the building to, as Bill said, 'lie prostrate on the hallowed marble of the main hall praising all goblins, until the hook-nosed Merlin-hating bastards let you back into your vault.' Harry grimaced. That was not going to be a pleasant experience, but it was a necessary one, he was running very low on cash. Ginny had given him a bracelet of a metal that shone hazel, the colour of her eyes as to remind Harry of her, whenever Harry thought about 'that moment.' Not that she'd told him what 'that moment' was. When Harry asked what the key was for, Ginny just smiled and laughed in his ear, running a finger down his crotch a dirty grin plastered across her face.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, with preparations for the party and more people arriving. Because of this Harry and Ginny didn't get to spend much time together and Harry could still sense an explosion was on the way, but it would be when they all went to bed that it would actually occur, giving him enough time to try and defuse it.

By four in the afternoon, the burrow was full. Relaxing in the living room was Ginny, who was sat on a chair, busy absent-mindedly playing with Harry's hair, who was sat on the floor in front of her, while gossiping with Luna who was lying on the floor next to Harry but facing Ginny. Mr and Mrs Weasley were sat on the sofa. Mrs Weasley was having yet another argument with Bill about his hair and he stood was by the fireplace with Fleur who was talking to Angelina, Katie and Hermione about the boys. Mr Weasley was muttering to Xeno Lovegood, who had spent the best part of half an hour apologising to Harry, about the changes in muggle rules. Andromeda was sat with Teddy on one armchair with Minerva McGonagall sat on the other and they were chatting quietly. Kingsley, Percy and George were talking about work in the corner next to the clock with Charlie, Neville and Hagrid just outside the door enthusing as normal about scary beasts. In the kitchen Ron, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Lee Jordan were having a heated about the new season of Quidditch, that was going to start soon, with Aberforth, Oliver Wood and Dennis Creevey. It made Harry smile to see so many members of both the Order and the D.A here.

He was the most surprised by Aberforth's arrival. He had appeared at about two P.M and had taken Harry to one side.

"Mr Potter, it is a pleasure to see you in more favourable circumstances, I have a little something for you, but I highly doubt Molly would approve, so don't open it down here." Aberforth's eyes twinkled toward Ginny. This caused Harry to become very intrigued. The last person to use those words was Sirius, nearly three years previously.

It turned out, in a horrific cosmic coincidence, to be Sirius' two-way mirrors. Harry had been meaning to collect them, he had left his shard at the Hogs Head and he thought it would be an easier way of talking to Ginny. However, of course, the Dumbledore intuition had beaten him to it. One of the mirrors Aberforth had now given him was clearly not the same mirror as he had destroyed in the bottom of his trunk. The other one was most definitely the one Aberforth had used to save their lives. All of this made Harry highly suspicious that Aberforth was much closer to his brother's level intelligence than he had ever let on. He practically hugged Aberforth and told him that they needed to talk about his brother, to which Aberforth made a weird little hiccup noise but consented all the same. It amused Harry to make the hundred or so year old man feel very uncomfortable, but Harry reminded himself it was for the best, he felt the need to let Aberforth know what had happened in limbo.

Hagrid had not given him anything this year. He still hadn't quite forgiven Harry for not trying to tell him that he was alive in the forest, even after Harry had explained everything to him. He had been the first person that Harry had told the story too, even before Kingsley and McGonagall. Harry had felt that it would go a ways to apologising for the grief that Hagrid must have felt seeing Voldemort kill him and hearing the screams of delight from the death eaters. Ultimately, Hagrid told him, it would take time, but they would be ok again. Harry was grateful that he was there and conversation, after a little while, became smooth and fun again.

 Dennis gave him an album of photos of Harry taken by Colin over the years, Harry was shocked by the amount of them, loving the photos of Quidditch and of the first task. He had to give it to Colin, he was very good with that camera of his, all of the photos of Harry were well lit and made him look heroic. Oliver's was a top box season ticket to see Puddlemere United. Harry had never really been a fan of Puddlemere, but he was a fan of Oliver who had just been promoted to first team keeper, so Harry promised to be at every match he could be. A promise he intended on keeping.

George and Percy along with their other halves, Angelina and Audrey, appeared last and brought with them large amounts of practical magical items, such as more instant darkness powder, a new version of the extendable ears, a large packet of skiving snack boxes and other things. Under Percy's arm was a very large box. It contained several bottles of variously flavoured alcohol. The other guests hadn't got him anything, but they were here and that, was ultimate, all that mattered.

Molly suddenly ushered them all out of the house into the Garden where there were the three large tables that they had used for his last birthday, to which everyone scrambled to choose a chair. Interspersed with the chairs were portraits of the dead. On one side was Remus, James, Sirius, Mad-eye, Mrs Weasley's brothers Gideon and Fabian; (Harry noticed he was painted wearing his watch.) Fred and Colin. Opposite James and Remus were their wives, Lily and Nymphadora.

Harry thought that it was a nice touch and sat down next to his mother's portrait and Ginny pulled in next to James, kicking Harry hard in the leg, reminding him that she was annoyed at something. Harry pulled a pained expression and it made Ginny feel a bit guilty. But then he saw her glance at Kingsley who had sat next to Neville and Fleur and the anger that flashed behind her eyes and Harry finally worked out what was wrong.

The conversation was light and easy between everyone and they enjoyed the setting sun, eating the luscious feast that Mrs Weasley and Andromeda had put on whilst drinking copious amounts of firewhiskey.

Just as the last of the golden rays of light from the sun sparkled and died Mrs Weasley levitated a cake that was in the shape of a lightning bolt on to the middle of the table that was on fire. Before she started to cut the cake, Harry stood up and blew out the flames.

"Before we finish eating tonight, I'd like to say a few things. Well, one thing. Thank you all for everything you have ever done for me, whether it be helping me hunt down and destroy that no-nosed bastard, or sticking me in detention for sneaking a Norwegian ridgeback out of the castle and forgetting to put on the cloak again, or modifying a sneaks memory and then taking a stunning spell for the team, or just in general being my friends in my hours of need and especially for fighting the death eaters all night on the 2nd and 3rd of May. Thank you all. The wizarding world would not be the same without any of you and nor would my life." Harry's speech was met with a round of applause and smiling he magicked pieces of cake to everyone. They quietly ate their cake and sat in the twilight of the evening enjoying the cool summer breeze.

"What about me?" Ginny mouthed at him when he sat down to eat his cake. Harry didn't respond right away instead he started rubbing his shoeless foot gently up Ginny's leg causing her to become slightly breathless.

"I will thank you every day that you are mine, for loving me and accepting all my little idiosyncrasies," Harry said quietly but out-loud so only Ginny and Hermione, whom he was sat next to, heard. 

"And how long will you have me for?" She held her fork close to her face after eating a slice of her cake. It looked like she was thinking whether to impale him.

"Forever and a little bit after that." This caused Ginny to beam at him and finally meet his eye. Harry relaxed, he seemed to of diffused the little time bomb for the time being.

"Ahh Harry," she practically swooned, "That was lovely." She leaned over to kiss him.

Soon everyone started to drift off home until all was left was the entire Weasley family. Bill and Fleur stayed for an hour more and then went home, after telling Harry and Ginny they were welcome to visit and that they'd help Him and Hermione deal with the Goblins when they set up the meet. Harry said that it would be when the Hogwarts letters came through in about a week.

Percy and George left not long after to go to Percy's flat where Audrey and Angelina were, on a little prying, waiting for them. Charlie was staying before heading back to Romania in the morning and so the two youngest couples excused themselves and went to bed.

Harry closed the door behind him and muttered 'Muffliato' at it with his wand before turning to face Ginny. He braced himself as he thought 'I am going to tickle this sleeping dragon and hope for the best.'

"Ginerva," that immediately got her attention and he closed the distance to her pulling her into a cuddle, "why have you been so angry with me today. I think I know why, but I'd like you to say." He held her close so that she couldn't pull her wand out and felt her break down in full-blown sobs. That was not a result Harry had been expecting in the slightest. "Ginny, baby. It's ok, it's ok. I am sorry Kingsley sprang that on you. I was hoping he'd have asked me in private, so I could break the news to you easier. On the other hand, you knew that I wouldn't be going back, that it would be too difficult for me. I know you aren't going to find it any easier than I would, but I'd rather not have you killed by your mother, I can't exactly get revenge on her now can I!" Ginny nodded after shuddering slightly but then gave out a tiny giggle. "Anyway, its only maximum of a year and a half training, most of which will be done when you are away. I promise, at least this year, not to get dangerously wounded. Plus, you didn't see but Aberforth gave me back these." Harry fished the Mirrors out of his drawstring bag that was in his pocket, as he did so Ginny sat down on her bed pulling her top off still gently crying.

"I know, Harry, you are right. I just hated hearing it aloud that was all. I don't want to be away from you again. Part of me died on the 3rd of May when I saw you in Hagrid's arms, I was quite sure I was going to ignore you forever when I saw you were actually alive." Ginny explained. She curled tight into his arms, looking deep into his eyes as if to lose herself in them and this moment. "But clearly I couldn't. Harry promise me you won't pull a stunt like that again!"

"Ginny, I can't pull a stunt like that again, next time I get hit by a killing curse I am a dead man.  I promise never to get hit by one. Again." He smiled, laughing gently, and she narrowed her eyes dangerously, clearly, she didn't find it funny.

 "I heard you muttering in your sleep one night about how you were scared for me to go back to Hogwarts alone, after the Carrows, but couldn't face going back yourself. It was very heartwarming to hear your struggle, but I always knew you wouldn't come with me, you are too damaged, and you have to start anew. What are these?" Ginny explained softly, still crying, as Harry wrapped his arm around her, gently kissing her neck, and handed her the larger of the two mirrors.

"Yeah, I suppose that is one way of putting it. I am used goods, damaged beyond repair, truly damned by the path I've walked." It was his turn to look depressed, he looked up and stopped kissing her, walling himself off very quickly. Ginny realised instantly what she had said and pushed Harry backwards on to the bed and then moved on top of him so her nose was just touching his staring into his eyes.

"No Harry, I didn't mean it like that, I meant scarred. Merlin, how do I make this better." Harry smiled as Ginny started panicking that she may have really hurt him. He opened his eyes and saw hers all of two inches from his, her pupils wide in the dark light. He leant up and gently kissed her.

"Hey, it's ok, I am scarred and damaged, I admit that. It just hurt to hear you think that, that's all I am sorry.  Back to the mirrors. They are a set of two-way mirrors that Sirius gave me at the end of Christmas when your dad was hurt. I completely forget about them when I 'saw' Sirius in the Department of Mysteries and we had to break into Umbridge's office. If I hadn't Sirius might well still be alive." Ginny kissed Harry's forehead as his eyes welled up, stroking his face gently.

"How did Aberforth end up with them?"

"He got the one in your hand when Dung sold it to him, used it to save our lives when snatchers caught us and took us to the Malfoy's manor. That's when Dobby got murdered, he apparated us out of there when Bellatrix threw a knife at us that hit him and killing him at shell cottage." Ginny looked a little startled, she had known Dobby had been killed, Bill had told her, but she had never been told how or why and it made her realise how hard their year out was. "The one in my hand is a new one, for I had smashed the other in a fit of fury after Sirius died, all that was left was a shard that I carried around in my mokeskin pouch and used to call of aid, which caused Aberforth to send Dobby." Harry became deep in thought, remembering the screams of Hermione as Bellatrix tortured her and the sound of the beach where Dobby paid the debt all men, and elves, pay.

"See that there, Harry, is what I mean. You'll be talking and then suddenly this mist descends over your eyes and you start reliving memories. What are you thinking about?" Ginny's voice was soft and warm, it made Harry feel safe and loved.

"That I cannot tell you. You need to ask Hermione, but I'll doubt she'll tell you for a while, have you noticed she doesn't show her right forearm any more?" His voice gained a hard edge and Ginny was wise enough to drop it. She started to draw circles on his chest with her fingers, this made Harry know they were ok as it was her favourite past time.

"So how do we use the mirrors?"

"You say my name into yours and my face will appear in it and yours in mine and then we can talk freely. I will always have mine on me so if you need to talk at whatever time just say my name. We'll try them out tomorrow when we are supposed to be doing housework. Now it is bedtime." Harry moved backwards so that his head was next to the headboard of the bed, despite being fully dressed. He kicked off his shoes and went to pull off his own shirt when Ginny stopped him and started kissing up his torso lifting his shirt up as she went, making Harry's breathing hitch.

"That sounds excellent plan, but there is something to do first." Ginny looked into Harry's eyes and he noted that lust filled, the slightly maniacal look was back.

"What are you doing?"

"Undressing you, why don't you like it?" She said pouting slightly. As Harry tried to reply she gave his chest a large bite causing him to lose all train of thought and mewl slightly in pleasure.

When she'd got to his face and removed his top her hand went to his jeans and she unbuckled his belt and button with her right hand and with her left pinned his arms above his head.

"I am sorry for being angry at you all day. I notice you silenced the door; did you expect me to yell at you?" She continued pulling his jeans off.  She was very pleased when she felt the bulge in his boxers and as she ghosted it with her fingers, his breathing stopped completely, and she felt him get harder under her touch.

"Well yeah, in all honesty, I did actually. Glad you didn't, made apologising a lot easier. Now we have all that out of the way what is the key for?" He asked, lifting up his left wrist revealing the little key.

"The key is for these and I am glad you silenced the door, it saves me silencing you," Ginny snickered dirtily as Harry felt a metal object click around his wrists. Harry instinctively flexed trying to break free. "I wouldn't do that if I was you, they are magical handcuffs, they will get tighter the more you struggle."

"Seriously what are you doing Ginny?" He sounded quite panicked, but also strangely aroused.

"Giving your birthday present, trust me you'll love it." Ginny started kissing his neck and down his body ignoring his continued protests.

"Where did you get them from?" Harry finally managed to say coherently, through the pleasure that was coming from Ginny kissing around his left nipple. She didn't give him an answer but instead looking him directly in the eye she flicked her tongue out over his nipple causing him to shudder in pure enjoyment.

She kept teasing him for a little while longer, before eventually gliding her hand over his boxers making them disappear and revealing Harry to her completely. She gently took hold of it and started twisting her hand up and down his length, making his eyes roll into the back of his head. He started mumbling a mixture of 'stop' and 'don't you ever stop'.

"Wow, Harry, you are pretty big, I mean I've lived with six brothers and from time to time accidentally caught sight of them and none quite compare." Harry barked a laughed feeling quite glad about that.

Ginny started licking Harry's head and this caused Harry too, very involuntarily at this point, try and stop her. This made the cuffs clamp right down making the pleasure seem to be multiplied by about a thousand and he almost exploded right there.  He didn't last much longer, and Ginny was soon covered in sticky mess, Harry himself being too incoherent to warn her. She didn't mind and licked all she could off her face before magically cleaning the rest off her.

"Enjoy that?" She asked, undoing the cuffs and letting Harry go free. "I think you enjoyed being tied up. Certainly, meant you couldn't stop me." Her eyes sparkled in the dark. Not that Harry was looking there, for she'd positioned herself so her naked breasts were right in his eye line as one last tease.

"Brilliant." was all he could manage for five minutes, " I fucking loved it, remind me why I stopped us doing something like that before?" He asked, that post-orgasmic calm plastered over his face.

"Because you are a stupid sod. Why do you think I cuffed you? I was intending on blindfolding you, but with everything today I forgot." Ginny was grinning wickedly.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Harry asked climbing under the covers, but as he did so he knocked over a glass that was on the bedside table, which bounced off the carpet and rolled under the bed. 

"Do you want that in alphabetical or chronological order?" She said, after picking up the glass and climbing into bed next to him. Harry laughed, kissed her on the nose then rolled over to spoon his beautiful and perfect girlfriend. That night he did not have a bad dream, nor did he wake up, his mind was too busy. His bracelet glowing all night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn this chapter makes me look like I hate Ron. And this is the neutered version! I don't I was just in bad place when I wrote this 4 years ago. see FF for the original frankly horrific original.


	3. Letters, Goblins and Oh Bugger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is that magical time of the year everyone, the letters are coming. Plus shenanigans involving a cloak, a store window and Harry's reappearance in the magical world

A little over a week after his birthday Harry was busy in the kitchen putting plates away by hand, Harry had been asked to stack the plates by Mrs Weasley, though she had clearly not told him not to use magic. He was straining to reach the top shelf with a set of plates when they flew out of his hand and neatly inserted in the shelf. Harry snapped his head around to see who had performed the spell as he had not heard any noise. His eyes rolled up the body of his best female friend. Hermione was fully dressed in an old long-sleeved t-shirt of Ron's and jeans, despite being in the Weasley household; she said she felt more comfortable. Probably because it smelt like Ron. Her hair was neatly tied back, and she looked calm and peaceful.

"Harry you know you are an of-age wizard? Why you are moving plates by hand?" confusion reigning all over her face and voice.

"Why not? It is therapeutic," he replied rather hurt, still not quite out of his daze from earlier.  "You of all people should be able to understand that fact. I enjoy random physical tasks, also it helps my hand." he continued, holding his left hand up and moving it around like it was in a spotlight. Hermione just looked at him deadpan. "What?" he said as she started smiling at something behind him. He was about to look around to see what it was when he heard someone speak.

"Basically, Hermione he doesn't know the spell. Otherwise, he'd use it, he has a deep abhorrence of any physical activity unless of course it is chasing his godson around or playing Quidditch." Ginny only half-jokingly explained as she walked into the kitchen, her head seemingly on fire with how brightly the mid-morning sun was illuminating it. Harry thought it made her look utterly gorgeous but also very terrifying. This plus the fact he knew that she was not wearing anything under her insanely tight jeans made him completely lose the comeback that he had before he had turned around. Hermione laughed brutally hard at him and waving her wand in one fluid action the rest of plates and pans landed gracefully in their respective cupboards.

"There done. In two seconds, how long were you at it, Mr Chosen One?" Ginny said almost completely blankly trying to sound annoyed. However, her eyes were sparkling betraying her love and amusement.

"It's not like I don't know the spell..." he looked at the ground sheepishly when the girls both stood with their hands on their hips and eyebrows raised. "I am just not very good at it."

Ron chose this moment to walk in to get a drink but got halfway across the room when he stopped and stared at the strange Mexican stand-off that occurred between Harry and the girls. Harry could see the cogs spinning up to speed in his head, caught between siding with his girlfriend and sister or his best friend. In the end, there was no choice.

"Hey Harry, just admit it, we all know. Just think, the boy who lived, the chosen one; scared by a simple household spell. Who'd of known ... oh right, everyone did." Harry just laughed.

"Cheers Ron. Way to stick up for me." he jokingly chastised Ron, having moved next to him by the sink, facing away from him, looking at the conspiring girls.   

"You know those two are scarier than you. It was never a choice and to be honest I really don't know the spell." He whispered under his breath to his best friend. Harry nodded slowly, for Ginny was currently bending over picking up some material from the floor, but in such a way it showed off her arse to Harry driving him mental. If it hadn’t been for Ron talking in his ear his resolve would have broken right then and there and he would have had to run upstairs with Ginny, ripping clothes off her as they went. His wrist was glowing a very deep red and Harry knew she could see that.

He was saved from any more teasing by the arrival of an Owl carrying two letters from Hogwarts. They flew through the open window and left the letters on the table much to the surprise of everyone. As they were for Ginny and Hermione the two boys stayed put until they had picked up their respective letters.

Ginny and Hermione pulled open the letters slowly unfurling the pages and glancing at them.

"Dear Miss Weasley ..." Ginny started to read out loud to herself. Harry had by this point walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. As she started to talk his hands moved up under her shirt drawing circles just under her breasts with the tips of his fingers as retribution to her teasing earlier. This caused her to lose her train of thought and to melt deeper into his body, causing the envelope to fall from her hand.

Out of the letter clanked a metal object. Hermione was the first to react if, Harry grimaced, you counted squealing in a range that only dogs could hear it as a reaction.

"Merlin's bloody beard, Hermione, can I please have my eardrums back?" Ron jumped about a foot from her before pretending to check his eardrums still work by digging his pinkie into the hole. Harry was just thankful that Ron hadn’t seen the reason why Ginny had dropped the letter.  He didn't want Ron suffering yet another bat-bogey hex.

Harry laughed when the little redhead finally broke from her concentrating on Harry's fingers to look at the source of Hermione's squeals only to become welded to the floor, her eyes never leaving the metal object.

“Is that what I think it?” She stammered, pointing at it.

Harry bent down, picked it up and started rolling it over his fingers, his own hands being very used to the object, causing a twinge of nostalgia for Hogwarts and his first proper home.

“Yes dear, it is.” He stopped rolling it by flicking it to the air with a finger and watched as Ginny caught the glinting metal, gracefully, barely an inch in front of Harry’s own outstretched fingers. Damn, she was good.

She rotated her hand, so it was palm up and unclenched her hand, lifting one finger at a time revealing the red and gold lion across the face of the badge, the silver letters of QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN emblazoned across the edges.

“Well done Ginny,” Harry picked her up and span around kissing her deeply, “So proud of you.” He exclaimed as he put her down, her hands around his neck fiddling with his hair as she stared into his eyes. Harry could see out of the corner of his eye Ron practically fitting, Hermione sat next to him, pulling an 'oh for Merlin's sake be happy for them' face whilst quite clearly trying to resist the urge to hit him.

“What’s happened, why is everyone standing the kitchen?” Everyone jumped about a foot when Mrs Weasley started talking, they had been so absorbed in the moment. Ron reacted first by his ears turning scarlet. He was supposed to be upstairs cleaning out his bedroom in preparation for moving out. Kingsley and Jack Anderson had seen them two days before and had confirmed their start date of the seventh of September. To make their life easier Percy had offered them his flat in London; it was closer and less depressing than Grimmauld place to the ministry. Harry and Ron jumped at it and we're moving in on the second. It helped that they didn't have to worry about Kreacher who since his improvement in mood had, by his own accord, decided that Andromeda was his mistress and went to live with her.

 “Oh, I see your Hogwarts letters have arrived girls.” She saw Hermione’s envelope on the table where she had placed it. Harry thought it looked thicker than it should of. He wondered if there was more to it than Hermione knew. She had only pulled out the reading list and was marking off which ones she already owned.

“Mum, I got Quidditch Captain!” Ginny looked at her mother, practically bouncing, who simply beamed.

“Not that there was ever any contest.” Harry enthused, standing behind Ginny holding her around the waist. Mrs Weasley smiled warmly. She was aware that the couple had been having a rough time and was glad to see that it had cleared up. Even if it did come at the expense of her own sanity, she knew that they were having, in her words, 'improper relations'. 

 “Well done Ginny, I am so impressed with you; we’ll have to get you a reward when we go to Diagon Alley." She said, gushing over her only daughter. She turned to everyone else and almost growled "Now, who told any of you to stop working?" Harry hadn't watched very many films in his time with the Dursley’s, but he was struck suddenly by the memory of an old war film he once saw and the very stern Colour Sergeant in it. Ginny kissed him gently on the cheek and left to finish doing her chores. 

"Mrs Weasley. . ." He started, after everyone else had scurried off to do their chores but was cut across by Mrs Weasley. 

"How many times, Mr Potter, do I have to say call me Molly."  She laughed.

"You know I go to say Molly, but Mrs Weasley comes out, it's not my fault. Anyway, I wanted to say that I will buy Ginny's present. Or should I say write an open cheque to you for Ginny's present? You can make it her birthday present too if you want." He turned very serious as she stopped and looked at him. "I think we should get her a new Firebolt 2. I have a suspicion and I know you and Arthur," the effort of saying his name was contorted across his face, causing Molly to laugh again as she set about magicking a broom sweeping the floors, "do too, that she will be playing professionally when she leaves Hogwarts and I'd like to give her the experience of flying a top-rate broom."

Mrs Weasley smiled and nodded. 

"You, Harry, are far too nice to my daughter. If you are not careful, she is going to become extremely spoiled. But that is an excellent idea. Right, tell the others if they get their chores done, we will go to Diagon Alley today." Harry nodded and went upstairs to find everyone.

"Could you contact Bill? Hermione and I need to beg the Goblins to let us into our vaults." Just then Hermione gave an almighty yelp from the living room and Harry felt her rush past and upstairs towards Ron's room. Harry just shrugged at Mrs Weasley, "I'll find out".

He made his way up towards Ron's room, only to be pushed against the wall and kissed quite vigorously then let go. As soon as Ginny had started, she had stopped and disappeared. This happened twice more, once on each flight of stairs, until Harry managed to flip them over and pin her to the wall, placing one hand either side of her chest and his right knee between her legs.

"Whoa, Ginny. Not that I am complaining or anything, but what was that about?" Her eyes glowed mischievously, and she started rubbing herself up and down his leg.

"You know exactly what, teasing me like that." She moaned lustfully, Harry laughed, dirtily, moving his hand on to her cheek rubbing it seductively and then disapparated in front of her. He reappeared in front of Ron's door on which he knocked. He heard Ginny running up the stairs behind him, probably to curse him.

Harry knocked on his door and it opened, finding Hermione in complete hysterics on the floor Ron holding onto her keeping her head off the floor and into his chest whilst gripping what looked like the Head Girl badge. Harry knelt down beside both of them.

"What's up, Hermione? That's really good! If anyone ever deserved it, you did." He enthused, he noticed the note with the official seal of the Minister for Magic crumpled in her hand. "What did Kingsley want?" He asked Ron rather than Hermione, who was still slightly inconsolable.

"The Australians have found her parents and they managed to reverse the charm and they are on their way home." He replied a strange grin on his lips, lovingly stroking her hair.

"Well that's good isn't it?" Harry asked Hermione this time, who nodded weakly.

"Yeah it is, but it's just a shock. I mean what if they hate me? What if my sister hates me?"  She started to cry again. By this time Ginny had appeared the annoyance dying from her face as soon as she saw Hermione and joined the massed hug on the floor.

"Whoa Sister? Back up a second! I thought there was only one of you?" Harry asked perplexed.

"There was, but because their emotional attachment to me still existed even though they couldn't remember me they felt incomplete and so in time my mother became pregnant and now they have a one-month-old daughter, called Artemis." She sniffed. Her parents really were terrible with names thought Harry, quite inappropriately.

"Hey at least they didn't call her your name and I am sure they will all love you. I can't believe your parents will hate you, they may be a bit confused for a little while, but they won't hate you. Do they still have their memories as the Wilkins?" Ginny tried to be upbeat, which got a little smile from Hermione.

"I assume so."

"When they back in the country?" Ginny asked.

"Tomorrow at five, they are flying into Heathrow Airport." Ron and Ginny looked confused, not knowing what Heathrow was or even, Harry couldn't remember if it had ever come up in discussion over the years, what an airport was. 

"Ok well, that's good. At least you have some excellent news to tell them and their house is still in good order isn't it." Harry said, filling over the confused silence of the other two. Every week since the final battle Hermione had popped round to her old house for an hour or two checking the post etc. to make sure it was ok.

"And you get to reintroduce me as your boyfriend. We should probably keep dad away from them for a little while. At least until they've settled in again." Hermione full-on laughed at that. He made a fair comment Arthur's enthusiasm for muggles might make them go crazy and want to leave again.

"I think we should hold off on introducing you as well, don't you think Ron. I mean it’s already bad enough I let you corrupt my sister, not sure her parents could cope with your lack of tact." Harry said pointedly, grinning maniacally in retribution for all the comments Ron had made over the months. "Come on, Hermione, we have bigger problems. Like getting our vaults back from that bunch that hate us. Molly is taking us to Diagon Alley today for your school stuff. But we are going to need to apologise first because we, or at least I, have no money."  Harry said giving her a problem that got her massive brain pan working.

"Oh right, of course, cool. Well, I was doing some research on that and uh, it's going to take a miracle for that to happen. I mean we broke in using a Gringotts goblin, imperioused another, then got a fair number executed by Voldemort and then to top it off we stole their dragon and destroyed the main hall in the process." Hermione, Harry and Ron all grimaced. Ginny just sat there taking it all in, not wanting to disturb them in case they locked up. She had, like with Dobby's death, known the event had happened but not the details.

"How about you buy them a new Dragon?" Ron asked, more of a joke than anything else, but regretted it instantly when Hermione shot him a scathing look that quite clearly shouted 'over my dead body Ronald.'. "Ok, ok. No dragon." He said, holding his hands up in defeat.

"Bill said you had to lie on the floor of Gringotts praising the name of Goblin," Ginny reminded them.

"I don’t like the sound of that." Hermione quailed slightly, the images of the goblin wars stirring in her deep memory.

"Well, he should be on his way here, come on we need to tell Molly why you came pelting up here. She was pretty worried." Harry stood up pulling Ginny and Hermione up. Ron smiled at Hermione, kissed her quickly and carried on clearing.

When they came downstairs, they were greeted by Bill who was sat with his feet on the table, in yet another argument with his mother about his hair.

"Alright tiny, congrats on the captainship, Charlie will be proud." Bill and Ginny high- fived before she disappeared to finish her chores. "Harry, Hermione. How are we today, I assume your Hogwarts letter gave you good news by your pride filled but bemused faces?" They all sat around the table with Molly, who was looking concerningly at Hermione who was still red and blotchy from crying.

"Yeah, I am pretty damn awesome Bill, I got the head girl and my parents are on the way home. Now all I need is to get into my money and all will be dandy." Hermione cracked a massive smile which made everyone feel better.

 "That's great news, Hermione, excellent. Now on the cash thing. There has been a development. It seems Kingsley stepped in and apologised for you. You are now free, though I'd only do it if I am with you, for the time being, to go into your vaults." 

"What did he do?" Harry hoped Kingsley hadn't stuck his neck out too far, he was the only chance of change for the wizarding world, Harry didn't want to see him lose the top spot.

"That, Harry, is an excellent question. I asked about and couldn't get a clear answer. I think he gave back some of the goblin armour in the ministry's archives. Some of that is very, very old and not useful to us, but the goblins have a sentimental streak about a mile wide for goblin manufactured armour as you no doubt found out with Griphook. At your peril the way I heard it. Almost getting locked in the Lestrange's vault, that would not have been pretty to watch." Bill winced. Harry and Hermione followed suit. That would have, indeed, been a horrible death. 

"Brilliant." Harry said brightly after recovering, "Well that's good, we will just have to write an official thank you note." 

"Bill. . ." Hermione looked worried still. "Why should we go with you?" She asked, not sure if she actually wanted to hear the answer. 

"They may try and lock you in your vault. They may of, for the purposes of good business, forgotten but they will never forgive. Especially about the goblins that were murdered because of you. They ‘ent too happy about the dragon either." Bill said bluntly and they left it at that. Harry laughed, however, when he heard Hermione mutter 'it was bloody barbaric,' under her breath. 

 About half an hour later, when Ron and Ginny had finished their tasks, all six of them were stood in front of the fireplace ready to floo to the three broomsticks. This was because Harry and Ginny could not, legally, apparate. One by one they jumped into the grate and appeared in the bar. 

"Morning Tom, long time no see. How is business?" Harry yelled over the cacophony that was the pub.

"Ah mister potter, indeed it has been, as for business see for yourself." Harry nodded, then hiding behind Bill they made their way into the backyard and by the time the words 'Merlin's beard it's Harry Potter' had started to form he was gone. 

Tapping the brick Harry watched as the wall slid back revealing a hustling and bustling alley like he hadn't seen for three years, and he smiled. All the vibrancy and magic that had populated Diagon Alley had returned, they could even see in the distance Fortescue's ice cream parlour had reopened. Wizards and Witches of all ages filtered up and down the sun-baked cobblestones and they all had a contented, calm look about them.

"Bloody hell. No wonder George and Perce have been doing so well." Ron exclaimed. Hermione, Harry and Ginny could only nod. Harry held out his arm for Ginny and she linked hers through and they walked along the street without a care in the world, like the couple they were finally allowed to become, along to Gringotts.

As they walked passed the open and heaving shops the first person, they ran into that they recognised was none other than Mundungus Fletcher flogging, what was probably stolen, goods. He saw Harry, Hermione and Ron and bolted, running around a corner of a building before disapparating. Clearly, he hadn't forgotten about the house elf incident.

"We sent Kreacher to escort Mundungus back to Grimmauld place. Dung didn't enjoy it." Ron explained, the hint of a smile on his lips, after eyeing a look from his mum. "We needed some information from him. Like who he sold the locket too. Turned out to be that toad, may she rot in hell." He swiftly added when the other three still glanced around at each other in confusion.

As Weasley Wizarding Wheezes was on the way past they dropped in to see George and Percy, amazed by how bright the shop still looked even though it was now competing against the light of all the others. It was, as usual, packed helping Harry to stay anonymous. Just a ship in the night, as it were. He walked around the store basking in the warmth and hilarity of it all. 

"Why hello there, little bro. How is one fairing today with the missus? We hear things have 'heated' up." George swooped down on Harry, using his fingers to create inverted commas over the 'heated' leaving no-one in doubt that he meant sexually. Harry turned bright red. He saw Ginny stood a little way off eavesdropping and wetting herself laughing and realise

"Ew, George, my 'missus' is your little sister!" Harry was shocked at George's blasé attitude, though pleased. "Shouldn't you be threatening to rip my head off for touching her?"

"Not really." George stood next to a bannister surveying his shop, his arms spaced wide apart to give him presence, "she's much scarier than I am when angry and if you ever hurt her which, by the way, I am sure you won't, she will kick seven bells of shit out of you and leave you crawling in the dirt before we ever even get to touch you. So, in this case, Mr The Chosen One, I am on your side. . . What she like in bed?" George winked at Harry. He knew that George was right, that Ginny was much more of a threat than any of her brothers. He shrugged and nodded his agreement.

"Cheers for the support. But, not telling you that George." And walked away to look at a miniature plush version of himself who, when squeezed in the middle, waved his wand and outshot red sparks, that spelt 'huzzah, old no nose is dead.' whilst shouting 'Expelliarmus'. Harry laughed at it and was immediately bombarded by what seemed like sixty, sixth-year girls who desperately wanted their plush Harry signed.

He looked over at Ginny and begged her with his eyes to save him. She saw this, and Harry could have sworn she apparated to his side that's how fast she moved. She laced her hands around the small of his back and kissed him. Deeply. It drew a very loud wolf-whistle from, of all people, Percy causing George to high-five him and the sixth years to scatter. 

 "What, Miss Weasley, did I do to deserve you?" Harry asked, pulling her in tight again after they broke apart and laughed at Percy who was looking mightily satisfied. He didn't wait for and kissed her forehead.

"Do you want that answer chronologically or alphabetically?" She loved this little interchange they had together it. She knew it made him feel better about himself.

"Neither. I don't believe you, nothing is good enough reason for having you."

"How about this for a reason Harry. You've had bugger all in the way of good in your life, so Karma gave you my daughter for all of your debt to be repaid in one lump sum." Mrs Weasley smiled, warmly and truthfully. Harry smiled but spaced himself slightly apart from Ginny who looked shocked.

"Mum! You swore!" She pointed at her mum in amazement.

"What's your point, Ginevra?" Mrs Weasley turned to face her daughter, bemused at her reaction.

"Mum! You swore! Wait until I tell Dad, he'll be so proud." Ginny had turned into a guppy for a moment then recovered, laughing at her, usually, saint-like mother.  Mrs Weasley just rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Ginny, it does happen. Come on, we need to carry on." Mrs Weasley waved good-bye to her middle sons, which was unintentionally ignored by them because George was still marvelling over Percy. He wasn't the only one. Ron and Hermione were deep in discussion about the change that was slowly being wrought over his brother.

Out in the street again someone had tipped off the fact that the Golden Trio were in the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. They were instantly assailed by throngs of witches and wizards who wanted to say thank you to the three.

Harry slowly pushed his way through the crowd. He didn't enjoy it, but he held firmly onto Ginny's hand and politely replied to everyone. Eventually, he got to the steps of Gringotts and slipped inside.

"That does it. I am going out in disguise. Not that I don't understand why people want to see me, I get it, I do, I just would like some peace and not take thirty minutes to get anywhere. Anyway, now to the more pressing problem." Harry looked grim, the last five minutes was not comfortable, and nor would the next five minutes be. Ron stayed at the entranceway as his mother and sister went to a side desk. Harry felt some part of him fracture when he saw Ginny escorted out by a goblin. 

Bill, Hermione and himself walked up to the main desk. All the Goblins in the hall stopped what they were doing and were now staring at them, giving him, Harry, especially dark looks, the silence in the hall was palpable. Harry felt his hand grasp around his wand until Bill gave him a long sideways look. He slowly let go of it and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the deep breath before the plunge.

"Hello, my name is Harry Potter. I would like to get into my vault. I do indeed have my key and my vault is 687." Harry said a bit garbled as to not give the large and particularly dark looking goblin sat behind the desk a chance to interrupt. He pulled out the little gold key and placed it on the desk as next him Hermione was doing the same.

"Certainly, Mr Potter," he held up the key and gave it a sharp flick, "would you and Miss Granger here like to follow Brackel, he will take you to your vaults." Harry felt his chest slowly relax as he moved towards the doors into the vault caves behind a fairly young-looking goblin.

In all the trip wasn't too bad, it was amusing for Harry to see the large hole that they and the dragon had bored through the rock. Hermione was shocked it wasn't fixed until Harry reminded her that a lot of the damage was spell caused. The goblin had, indeed, almost tried to lock them in their vaults, but luckily Bill noticed and gave a very stern cough causing the goblin to stop.

They made their way back to the surface and met Ginny and co by the door after saying goodbye to Bill who was under orders from Kingsley to contact him as soon as they were out of the tunnels. Harry slipped passed Mrs Weasley and slipped into her hand a large sack of gold. She smiled and nodded slyly.

"Keep the change," Harry whispered as they stepped out of the dark and were blinded by the light. They all went their separate ways after agreeing to meet back at WWW in an hour. Ron and Hermione went straight to her favourite shop in the world, Flourish and Blotts. Harry could have sworn he saw lust in her eyes. Maybe he should have offered them the invisibility cloak.

Harry, not wanting to be waylaid, pulled out the cloak from his pocket and wandered through the street. He stopped outside of a rebuilt Ollivanders' for a moment and he watched as the much healthier looking Garrick Ollivander fitted a young, scrawny, dark-haired boy with his first wand. Harry had an extreme sense of Deja Vu.

He waited for the boy to step out with his mother and as the door shut, he slipped in pulling the cloak off at the same time as not scare Ollivander.

"Good morning Garrick," Harry called cheerfully.

"Ah Mr Potter, I was wondering when you'd come to see me. Are you after a new wand? I remember yours was snapped." He asked, his mysticism having returned. Harry noticed he was much more relaxed in his natural habitat, surrounded by the thousands of long, thin, boxes that were stacked in the dusty shelves.

"I came to see how you were actually, my wand I fixed using the Elder wand before I returned it to its rightful place." He pulled his wand out of his pocket and handed it over to Ollivander who smiled and ran his fingers along it.

"Yes, Mr Potter, yes very good, it is in excellent conditions, any lingering effects of the break or with the repair job?" He gave Harry's wand back to him, who took it with a shake of his head, "I am very well, thanks to you, how are your friends? I saw Luna not that long ago, she said she was enjoying her holiday and couldn't wait to back to school." His eyes were appreciative but dark and glazed remembering something. Harry had his first inkling of what Ginny had tried to explain about talking but being elsewhere.

"We are all ok, Ron and Hermione are around somewhere shopping for Hermione's last year at Hogwarts so is my girlfriend Ginny Weasley." He gestured outside to the still very busy street.

"Ah I remember her, she is the youngest of the family. A wand of 9 inches, Dragon heartstring, Hazel. Good for hexes and defensive magic." Harry laughed. That was Ginny to a T.

"Just like her eyes and temper. Which makes sense, the wand chooses the wizard after all." Ollivander smiled this time.

"That they do Mr Potter." His eyes sparkled with slight pride.

 Harry bid Ollivander a good day, pulling his cloak back over him and slipped out, walking over to Quality Quidditch Supplies where he could see Ginny standing with her face up against the glass staring at the new Firebolt Mark 2, the look of longing she wore looking at Harry was on her face now. He could see Mrs Weasley walking up the street and heading towards QQS. Harry had to distract Ginny long enough for Mrs Weasley to buy Ginny's broom. He snuck up behind her and threw the cloak over her. She spans around but Harry had already, wordlessly, blindfolded her and pushed her against the window.

"Guess who?!" He whispered kissing down her neck, cheekily undoing buttons on her checkered shirt so he could kiss down her cleavage. 

"Well, it sounds like my boyfriend, Harry Potter. But it can't be he isn't that forward. Or adventurous. I mean we are broad daylight after all." She said quietly as possible giggling slightly.

"Well I'd better be gone before he comes back, you never know he might be the violently jealous type." Harry joked.

 "Well I don't know; do ya think he might be?"

 "I think so, I got jealous of the broom in the window. You were looking at it with more lust than you do me." Harry said slowly, playing Ginny's tits making her bite his shoulder in an attempt to be quiet. Harry was sure if they had been having sex she would have drawn blood. "Anyway, we are under the cloak. Noone can see us, so relax, enjoy the attention." He kept one eye on Mrs Weasley who was just paying for the Firebolt 2 in the shop window. She left the shop and as suddenly as he had started Harry stopped and did up her buttons, pulled the cloak off Ginny, leaving her confused and horny as hell. He waved his wand and removed the blindfold as she turned around and saw her look of utter devastation that the broom had been purchased. Harry knew that he was going to get in serious trouble from her when it would be revealed that it was, in fact, herself she'd have to curse for being so lucky as she was currently threatening todo.

It would be worth it, the make-up make-out session and subsequent foreplay, for Harry was now finally playing ball, would be incredibly hot and heavy. In fact, Harry was intendant on giving her three birthday presents. Her broom, she'd get that off her parents; some jewellery that he was going to buy before Ollivander and Ginny had distracted him and finally, he was going to give her what she'd been after since the end of the war. He was going to give himself to her completely.

Harry walked in the other direction from the way Ginny was looking.

"Ginny." Harry stopped and whispered into the mirror. Not two minutes later an angry Ginny appeared in his mirror.

"Harry Potter, you come back here right now, and you finish what you started." She practically screamed at him. "Or you won't get head for a year!"

"Whoa, I can't baby, I am off to buy your birthday present. I'll back in about ten minutes at the WWW and I promise I'll make it up to you tonight." Harry's tone shifted from hard-up defensive to deep and lust filled as he spoke winking at his girlfriend, who just scowled and disappeared from sight. At least it proved the mirrors worked.

Harry found the shop he was looking for. It was a little shop tucked down a side part of the main alley.

He pulled off the cloak again and walked into the magical jewellers that Ginny had got his birthday present from.

"Hi, my name is. . . " Harry started but the little witch behind the counter immediately cut across him.

"Harry Potter. The entire wizarding world knows you are Mr Potter. What can I do for you today?" She smiled answering him in a very thick Glaswegian accent.

"I believe you sold this," He held up his bracelet, "to a young red-headed witch."

"Aye, I did, what of it?" She said rather abrasively, though it was probably a construct of the accent.

"I’m here because I need something to get her in return for her birthday, I have no idea what to get her though. The problem with being a boy," Harry said, gesturing confused at the cabinet. "However, I believe you were the one that enchanted my bracelet to glow at a specific memory of our choosing?" Harry had an idea for

what he wanted, he hoped she could do it.

"Aye, fair enough laddie. I did do that, it is one of our signature charms, would you like it applied to the piece when you choose it?"

"Yes, is it possible to make it glow green? Also, I was wondering if it could be made to glow when a specific person ended up in hospital."

"Certainly, Mr Potter what colour would you like?" Harry was shocked by this and thought for a moment.

"Black. Because that's the colour of my world when she's not there. I assume it is true for her too." Harry knew it was from the conversation they shared on his birthday.

"Ah that is very depressing but at the same time cute. Now we just need to find the right piece. I see you've been looking as we've been talking, have you any ideas?" Just as she asked, Harry saw it.

It was an interlinked heart pendant, one white gold, the other yellow gold, that was set at a slight angle from each other but seemed to flow gracefully into each other, where one ended the other began. It reminded Harry of them so much.

"That one." He said with so much certainty it was almost an order. The woman ran to it.

Five minutes later, Harry's wallet lighter and her present in his pocket, he made his way back to the WWW. What he actually did was step outside and apparated into the storeroom of the WWW.

He landed, accidentally, on Percy who flipped him onto the floor, put his knee in his neck and his wand to Harry's temple. Harry had, whilst, in mid-air pulled his wand out it was currently hard up in Percy's rib. They hadn't even looked at each other's faces when George opened the door.

"Percy, why are you threatening, slash, suffocating Harry?" He asked slowly, not sure he wanted to get involved but then not sure he wanted to get beaten by Ginny for letting Perce kill her boyfriend.

"Oh bollocks, sorry Harry, you scared me." George's question caused Harry and Percy to look each other and instantly Percy jumped off and hauled Harry off the ground.

"No, my fault, I landed on you," Harry said pulling his friend into a tight embrace.  At that moment three magical law enforcement officers appeared holding their wands out. George's wand was out instantly and pointing to the new intruders. For the second time in as many minutes, Harry was face down on the floor.

"Harry James Potter you are under arrest for the illegal use of apparition. You will be taken to the holding cells until such time as you can be properly charged and fined. Do not resist." One of the three men took Harry's wand and slapped handcuffs on him, hauling him off the floor. He felt them tighten up in the same way Ginny's cuffs had, confusing Harry, he had thought she had got them from George, clearly not. Somewhere from the dregs of his memory, he remembered he had seen Tonks spinning a set of cuffs on her fingers. Perhaps, in a moment of extreme forethought, she had given them to Ginny.

As quickly as the three men had appeared, they had gone taking Harry by the side-along apparition, an irony that wasn't lost on Harry, leaving George and Percy alone, bewilderment plastered all over their face. The next feeling that washed over them was panic at who was going to tell Ginny and their mother.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" They both asked each other at the same time. It was just then that Ginny came barging in.

"Where the fuck is my boyfriend?" She looked murderous and they both went white.

An hour and a half later Harry found himself sat in one of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement holding cells that were located on the main MLE floor of the ministry. They were purposeful cold and damp, the bars making up one wall glowed with a deep purple hue that made Harry think he really didn't want to touch them. There were about fourteen holding cells that were in a long row, all of them had someone in. Most, like Harry, were in so that they could be fined for this offence or that, but a couple had long-term occupants, death eaters, that were considered too dangerous to move to Azkaban and back for the trials.

After Harry had been processed, he was marched passed, firstly, the two Carrows who both jumped up from their cots and jeered derisively and swearing profusely.

"Where is that filthy blood traitor red-headed girl. I am not finished with her, she broke my nose. I want to return the favour." Alecto called down the hall after him. Next was Umbridge, but she didn't notice him, she was asleep on her cot. After that came McNair and Mulciber who looked simply bored. Dolohov was sat cross-legged in his cell and he licked his lips sadistically as Harry was pushed past him.

He laughed bitterly at the fact that he had been meaning to come to the ministry to book his apparition test and because of a two-minute lapse of judgement he was banged up for illegal apparition. Because he didn't know how long he was going to be he removed his jacket and placed it at one end of the metal cot he was sat on and laid back, closing his eyes. What seemed like instantly, but was, in fact, an hour later, he heard the jail cell door swing open and two sets of shoes on the floor.

"Harry, we came as soon as we could. What happened?" Harry hadn't moved when he heard the feet but instantly sat bolt upright when he heard Kingsley's voice.

"Nothing, I forgot I wasn't licensed to apparate as I had been for all of last year. I apparated from one side of Diagon Alley to the other to avoid attention. That's all I did, and I'll pay my fine and book in for a test as soon as possible." He said his face in his hands. He felt very tired all of a sudden. Ginny was going to kill him.  It was a very different end to the start of the day he had had.

"Oh, Harry you silly boy. Come on let's take you home, everyone will be worried stiff." Mr Weasley said soothingly. He helped Harry up and in doing so Kingsley caught sight of the bruise developing on his neck.

"What was that from?" He pointed to it, Harry instinctively touched the bruise. "Was that one of the officers?" Kingsley looked concerned.

"Nah, that's a funny story. When I apparated I landed on Percy who, because I had just scared him shitless, threw me to the floor and rammed his knee into my throat. It was amazing, if painful." Harry sounded impressed and he was, Percy's reaction time was simply astonishing.

Kingsley looked like he had just started breathing again. Mr Weasley laughed and escorted Harry back up the corridor where he received the same treatment as he had done last time.

At Alecto's door, he stood in front of her and in a cold, heartless voice told her that,

"If you ever get out of here and come near Ginny or any member of my family, I will not hesitate to execute you." This made Alecto even more gleeful if possible and Harry strode off and went to get de-arrested.

 


	4. How Does One Explain?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has returned back to the burrow for some much needed cuddles and sleep.

 "Harry James Potter, I could kill you," Ginny shouted at him when she finally got downstairs. She had accidentally fallen asleep waiting for Harry who, along with Arthur, was currently eating. They had only just gotten home because it had taken an hour to book Harry out of the holding cells because Kingsley had insisted on completing all the paperwork properly. Plus, the custody officer was a bastard. Harry couldn't blame them if the prophet caught wind of this event all could be lost if he wasn't seen to be treated the same as everyone else. After that, it had taken thirty, long, minutes to find a secretary for the department of magical transportation to book a test for Harry, which now was going to be held in five days time.  Now back in the kitchen, Arthur had just left to go and sit in the living room with Mrs Weasley.

Harry had stood up as he saw a flash of red hair come barrelling down the stairs towards him. George, who seemed to have a knack for appearing at the right moment for couple fight, stopped walking towards the door, oohed and magicked a chair up whilst pulling out some ready-made popcorn, a foodstuff Fred and he had discovered one day in muggle London, out of his jacket and sat down to watch like their fight was a film.

"Why?" Harry asked her, slightly worried she might actually kill him as she grabbed him around the waist pulling him in tight. Her hair was tied back, and she was wearing a pair of Harry's boxers underneath her, extremely tight, holy head harpies’ t-shirt, Harry felt this was all very unfair. In the corner of the room, George had now been joined by Percy who was sat in a comfortable armchair his legs crossed over each other, pretending to smoke a pipe as they commented on the scene in front of them. Ginny had let go of Harry and was now poking him in the chest with her finger.

"For getting yourself arrested. For leaving me for five hours in a state." She hissed at him loudly. "And you know because of the other thing, by QQS." She added much quieter, her eyes flashing with lust, but still as annoyed.

"Well, he did break the law Ginny. . ." Percy said in his most official tone, the one he used to save for cauldron bottom thickness; before Harry could respond to Ginny.

"And we all know that crime. . ." George took over.

"Doesn't pay." They finished together. Harry laughed, it was excellent to see them so close, and instantly regretted it. Ginny glared at him and then rounded on her brothers, she looked dark and angry. "You two fuck off and leave us alone, with your stone, parchment, scissors. You need to find a backbone." They didn't move an inch and in a show of extreme backbone Percy even leant over and grabbed a handful of popcorn from his brother, whilst staring Ginny right in the eye. George looked shocked pulling the bag away from Percy, but laughed none the less, then turned to back to his sister and stuck out his tongue. Ginny tried to look angry but failed, laughing she pulled Harry upstairs to get away from those two meddlesome brothers.

"Boring," George called after them, disappointment all over his face. After watching her curse Ron for waking her up, Harry getting arrested should have led to a bigger fallout. "Good to see you are OK Harry and the MLE let you out. Sorry about the neck and see you soon." Finished Percy. Just before she slammed the door of her bedroom behind her, they heard two loud cracks indicating that they had left for their own home.

Closing the distance to Harry, who backed up onto the bed, she had dark lights on in her eyes. Harry's breath hitched as she crossed through the beam of light coming from the full moon. Her hair was iridescent and the top she had on as she pushed him over was really not covering very much. Lying on him she gave him a massive, crushing, cuddle, kissing his forehead, his jaw and his lips.

"Whoa, Ginny breath, I am here now I am sorry; it was a two-second mistake. And a five hour, and five hundred galleons, marathon to apologise for it." He pulled her tighter and rolled on top.

"I was so angry at you for leaving me so teased and horny, then you were arrested, and I was then angry at the fact that I had no idea what was going on other than what George told me. I arrived a little after you were taken away." She sounded pissed again. "What did happen?"

"Hey, not my fault, you started the teasing. As for what happened, I apparated, Percy accidentally tried to kill me, I was arrested, and I was thrown into a holding cell after being paraded past five or six death eaters. Including the Carrows and Umbridge. I have to ask when did you break Alecto Carrow's nose?" Harry recounted, asking her one of the two burning questions in his heart. He pulled a slightly concerned face.

"Well, funny story really, we were duelling, and I sent a full body bind her way which the dirty slag failed to defend against. Not my fault she collapsed face first." She shrugged. Her face was a mixture of pride and utter indifference. "How did you find out about that?" Harry laughed; he thought Ginny had punched her or something.

"She told me. Right before she threatened to break your nose in revenge. Luckily, for her, she won't ever be leaving Azkaban." Harry was embittered. Embittered but pleased. Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, fiddling with the hair on his neck, worried that he had done something extremely noble. 

"I may have lost my temper with her and threaten to kill her," Harry explained, slightly embarrassed and angry with himself. Before Ginny had a chance to respond Ron and Hermione knocked on her door and walked in.

"Did we hear the name Umbridge? I thought she was in Azkaban?" Ron asked before realising the position they were in. Harry had just rolled off Ginny, luckily still fully dressed, but still, they were looking a little flushed like they had been caught shagging. Ron's temple made funny twitch but didn't say anything. They both sat down on the end of the bed.

"How was your time in jail?" Hermione asked.

"Why yes, yes you did hear the name, Umbridge. No, she isn't in Azkaban. After the break-out of Yaxley in transit they decided not to move the death eaters in ministry lock-up until after their trials. Only one movement lowers the chances of escape. Ultimately it doesn't matter; the holding cells there aren't pleasant." Harry explained; his face was an unpleasant contortion trying to show how rough the lock-up was.

"Well that makes sense, was it really that bad?" Ginny asked moving behind Harry and wrapping her arms around him, placing her head on his heart. Harry noticed Hermione was about to ask the same thing.

"It's not bad; it's just not pleasant, which is understandable because it is a jail. It is unnaturally cold in that room. And the bars have a funny purple glow about them. I don't ever want to have to spend time in Azkaban if that was the holding cells." Harry finished up saying. "They seem to suck the magic out of you, all I wanted to do was sleep until I was released." He shuddered, and Ginny pulled him in tighter. "Anyway, how are you feeling about tomorrow Hermione?" Harry asked suddenly much brighter.

"Nervous. I haven't seen them in over a year and now I must meet a new somebody who I haven't met before. At least Ron is coming with me." She smiled at Ron who pulled her close and kissed on the forehead.

"Of course, I am." He smiled and Harry was about asked if she wanted Ginny and him to go too. But he was interrupted.

"Bedtime, I am sure Harry wants to sleep, he has had a very trying day and Hermione you are going to have one tomorrow, so all of your bed now." The voice of Mrs Weasley came floating through the house. Her tone left no room for argument.

Ron and Hermione slipped out of the bedroom after saying night, leaving Harry and Ginny in the dark.

"Where were we before they came in?" Harry asked Ginny, kicking his shoes off and sitting on the bed next to Ginny.

"You were defending my honour from dirty, death eating, slags." She said pulling his top off him. She sounded amused, causing Harry to feel better.

"Ah yes, I was, glad you think that. I feel slightly dirty all over for stooping down to her level." Harry spat. He closed his eyes as Ginny ran her hands all over his torso, her fingers pleasantly cool against his skin.

"Harry, you silly sod, if anyone deserves to die it is Alecto Carrow. She tortured us after we refused to listen to her lies about muggles being lower beings. Who knows what she did before being posted at Hogwarts." Ginny tried to make Harry see that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that he wanted to harm Alecto. He just still didn't agree.

"You didn't see her reaction when I threatened her, she became gleeful like she was trying to make me fall, trying to make me become like them. No, it's more punishment to her if she lives. It also reminds everyone that we are the good guys, we don't kill unnecessarily." Harry sounded tired, tired of the world, tired of life. Ginny laid down and motioned for him to join her. He relaxed back into her arms pulling his jeans off and curled up facing her, fully intending on kissing her, but by the time his head had hit her arm, he was asleep.

"Oh, come on." Ginny moaned, that just wasn't fair, but as it was, she still rubbed her nose gently against Harry's, pulled her own top off and cuddled Harry as he slept, falling into a light, broken, sleep.

That night he was rudely awoken by a dark dream. Ginny being hunted down and killed by the Carrows for fun before hunting Harry down. He woke up just as he threw a killing curse at Alecto. He found himself staring at the wall and was confused for a moment until he realised that he could feel Ginny's hand on his chest and her own chest hard up against his back. He rolled gently out of her arms and stood up looking out into the night again. Despite his dark dream, he felt much more awake and alive than he had done immediately after his short incarceration. Those cells really take it out of a person.  He looked at his watch in the half-light and saw it wasn't that late. He heard a slight, concerned, noise behind him. He turned and saw Ginny was now awake and she motioned for him to join her back in bed.

"Can't sleep again, Harry?" Ginny asked, pulling him back into the position they were just in; gently kissing his back. She couldn’t sleep either and was just as awake as he was.

"Something like that, I've just recovered from my jail time."  He replied rolling over, so he was staring into her eyes, just like before he fell asleep. However, this time he managed to close the distance and kiss her.

It wasn’t any ordinary kiss, it was filled with all the pent-up frustration that Harry and Ginny had inflicted on each other over that day, Harry’s hands roamed around her body, after he pinned her down on her back, causing her to moan and lose her train of thought. It wasn’t helped when he started to kiss down her body getting to her breasts, licking them in a spiral, getting closer and closer to her nipples. He had just started gently sucking one of them when he stopped and leaned down to his jeans.

“After the experience in front of QQS, I think this is necessary.” He said laughing gently as he pointed his wand at the door.  “Muffliato.” He dropped his wand to the floor and moved back up to her chest.  “Where was I?”  He asked, half-rhetorically, caused her to moan and run her hands through his hair.

“Merlin. Harry, when did you become so good at this?” Ginny whimpered in his ear as he started running his fingers up her leg. “Fuck, I should tease you more often if this is the response I get.” He smiled and with his left hand started pulling his boxers off her whilst running his right hand along her centre causing her to momentarily stop breathing.  Harry finished removing his boxers and started to kiss up her leg, still gently running his fingers along her length but never really entering. He had to be fairly gently, it was the first time he had done this to her, though she had admitted that she did it quite regularly to herself.

“Mhhmm Ginny, you taste amazing.” He exclaimed, both about her skin taste and the taste of her juices he had just licked off his fingers as he came to lick her. “I apologise if I am terrible.” He had stopped with his tongue just touching her and looked into her eyes that were burning with utter desperation and need.

“I don’t care, practice makes perfect and I’ll tell you. Now get on with it for fuck sake.” She ordered.  Harry laughed and let his tongue make contact with her folds causing her to stop breathing again and run her hand in his hair. He wasn’t especially bad and in no time, he had Ginny screaming his name as she came.  Harry was very pleased with himself and smiled as in her bliss Ginny rolled over on to her side, not caring about being completely naked. Harry laid beside her spooning her.

“Ginny Weasley, I don’t believe I have said I love you this evening.  That is a mistake that I am going to correct right now. I love you, more than anything. More than Tom loved to be immortal, more than Hermione loves to help house elves, more than they love to argue.” Harry tried to explain how he felt but expressing feelings had never been a strong point. Ginny laughed.

“I know Harry Potter, I know. I love you too. You are perfect. Well, perfect for me.” And with that they both fell asleep, all their pain forgotten.


	5. Legal Apparation is Always a Win and a Fortnight of Firsts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny has a ticket to ride and she is leaving today, but she does care so very much.
> 
> Everything has been light and fluffy. Until now. Harry's under pressure from the weight of all his damage and now cracks are forming. You've been warned.

When Harry awoke on the first of September his instant reaction was to wrap his hand around Ginny tighter. He wanted to never let her go and although he'd see her every day, he deeply felt regret for the decision to not join her at Hogwarts. He felt sick for even contemplating not going back. As the sun rose and started to bath the bed in golden rays Harry thought about the last month he'd had at the Burrow with Ginny.

His last few weeks with her had been incredibly busy. After the arrest episode Harry had to pass his apparition test which, of course, he had breezed through apparating from the Ministry to an abandoned power station outside Inverkip, Inverclyde, Scotland. Although it was four hundred miles distant, he hit it smack on the money appearing less than a metre from his examiner. But then he had travelled at least six hundred miles when he had apparated himself and Dumbledore from the cave to Hogsmeade, so this was a walk in the park. This was all much to the surprise of the little-bearded Scotsman waiting for him, who jumped a foot in the air when Harry had introduced himself as he had made very little noise upon arrival.

"Welcome tae Scotland, well a different part of Scotland than Hogwarts, Mr Potter. That gentle lapping noise you hear is the great firth of Clyde. Tae our right is the town of Greenock and the left is the county of Ayrshire." He gestured back and forth. "By the way, ye know ye can apparate nearly silently?” Harry had problems following the man’s accent but got the gist. He hadn’t realised that he could apparate quietly before, he had just assumed he made as loud a crack as anyone else.

“No, I didn’t. Nobody has mentioned it before.” Harry said shrugging, then pointed to the carcass of the power station continued “Well this place is depressing isn’t it, what is it?”

“Aye, ye can. It is rather, this an oil-powered power station, whatever that means, built in the seventies and contains Scotland’s biggest free-standing tower. It has been in mothballs for the last ten years.” The small man explained as they walked through abandoned site toward the river. Harry couldn’t believe the sight that greeted him as they got to the edge of the Clyde. It was spectacularly beautiful as the sun shone brightly and high over the water glinting off the gently rolling waves. As he looked across the firth, he could clearly see the other side of the wide expanse to all the little towns on the islands of the Clyde. He watched as the ferries shuttled backwards and forwards across the river and as looked down the length of firth Harry saw an old looking paddle steamer puff past, her paddles spraying water high into the air. The mixture of the sea, the sun and the gentle breeze filled Harry with calm. That was until he was pulled out of reverie by the gentleman.

“Hold these,” The man gave Harry what looked like a rusty nail and a piece of paper. “Give this tae the man who meets ye in the ministry it tells them ye've succeeded. I would've thought that the fact ye took a portkey back, that arrived at the correct time, would've given it away but that’s government for ye.” At that moment Harry felt the usual tug behind the navel and found himself back in the Ministry. He was ecstatic that he could now legally apparate.

When Harry appeared in the middle of Weasley’s living room after signing all the documentation the first question anyone asked was ‘well did you pass?’ Harry just laughed and said.

“Do you see hit wizards pounding me into the floor? I think not, therefore I passed.” before everyone jumped up and hugged him tightly. 

The next day it was Ginny's birthday. On the whole, it was a much quieter affair, with just the Weasley's, Hermione and Andromeda, than Harry's birthday at Ginny's insistence. It was her seventeenth and she felt incomplete without Fred for the first time since his death. He should have been here, and they could have made lots of strange happenings occur, pranking people all day. It would have been amazing. As it was Ginny and George had set up a few very simple but clever little pranks. Ron was going to get pulverised. Hermione had gone home for that week to get her parents settled and to spend time with them and her baby sister before leaving for Hogwarts and without her Ron was miserable. He and Harry spent most days lazily chucking a quaffle at each other whilst flying slaloms around the trees in the orchard. If he wasn't doing that, he was found in his room face down on his bed. All of this told Ginny he needed to be terrorised a little to make him smile.

Harry woke up, in a weird reversal of his birthday, first and he sneaked downstairs to his jacket pulling out her carefully wrapped present, took the babbling Teddy from Andromeda when he tried, very unsuccessfully to launch himself at Harry and went back to bed. There he sat at the end of the bed watching Ginny asleep telling Teddy about all the amazing things that she did and what he loved about her. He pulled out his camera and took a photo of Ginny asleep, for him to keep on him at all times. Harry knelt down by the bed with Teddy on his shoulders and gently woke the sleeping woman with a kiss.

"Good morning beautiful," Harry whispered. "I have a present for you." He removed the small parcel from the little man’s grasp. Luckily the woman in the shop had sealed it magically as Teddy was sucking on the end like it was a bottle. To keep Teddy placated Harry put him on the bed and replaced the box with an actual bottle that he held up for Teddy while he drank. Ginny sat up and pulled on a button down of Harry's that she left as undone as was passably decent. So, it was held together by one button just under her breasts. Harry was having a hard time from not going ahead with his plan now. Only Teddy being there stopped him.

"Happy Birthday Ginny," he smiled, trying hard to not let the growl building in his chest show; and handed her the box and her wand. He then picked up Teddy to hold him as he fed. He was currently black-haired but had storm-grey eyes, this meant he was content. Ginny smiled and closed her eyes as she tapped the box. The bow unravelled smoothly, and the paper rolled off the lid, which opened by its self. Ginny slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh Harry, that's so beautiful, thank you." Ginny lifted the necklace out of its case, holding it.

"Does it do anything?" She asked almost expectantly. Harry laughed the magical world lead to some funny expectations about things.

"Yes, of course, it does Ginny. The white gold heart glows green when you think about that memory." Harry's eyes bored into Ginny's own trying to give a clue about what he was going to do later.

"Ha, you cheeky sod stealing my idea, what's the memory?" She smiled rubbing her nose against Harry's. She realised it was too dangerous to actually kiss him.

"Patience Ginny, Patience." He gave her a lust filled stare and was pleased when she shifted around trying to stop her jumping on him. "But that's not all it does. The yellow gold heart turns black if I am hospitalised." He stopped and watched as she started to well up slightly, "I will try not to be. I promise that much." He added.

"You better not Mr Potter, at least this not year." Ginny looked stony, giving him a piercing stare. Teddy had now finished his bottle and had suddenly changed his hair colour to bright red. In the two weeks since Harry's birthday, Teddy had devised a clever way indicating who he wants to play with by changing his hair colour to match the person he wants. Harry passed him over to Ginny and they, after getting dressed obviously, went downstairs.

The rest of the day passed relatively smoothly with just a few hiccups here and there. The fact that Ron was blue, with white hair, was apparently nothing to Ginny, nor was the large bucket of blue paint that had been placed above his door. Harry knew he shouldn’t have introduced her to the smurfs. Hermione couldn’t look at Ron, she kept bursting into laughter, for as a well-adjusted muggle-born she had a lot of experience with smurfs. She eventually stopped laughing enough to remove the blue colour, only to be turned blue as well. Ginny ended up mysteriously upside down in the middle of the garden after that.

Harry wasn’t immune to the pranks just because he was Ginny’s boyfriend, either. He spectacularly vomited pink and purple sparkles for an hour after drinking, what he thought, was his pumpkin juice. It turned out to be a new variation of the puking pastilles. However, the point was more to breathe them out, rather than projectile vomit, but George hadn’t quite worked out how to do that. Teddy thought it was downright entertaining watching his godfather spew little stars everywhere, he was giggling uncontrollably for almost as long as Harry was puking. 

George was pranked with a good, old-fashioned fake wand that blew up in his face when he tried to pack the shelves in the kitchen. The irony was, of course, it was one of his own fake wands and Mrs Weasley put it there to get him back for the time just before the Quidditch World Cup.  She did it as part of her grieving process for Fred. It was amusing to watch George and Molly try and scrub off the explosive residue from his face whilst wetting themselves laughing at the situation.  Bill, Percy and Mr Weasley were saved from the pranking because they were at work and returned too late in the day. That evening was quiet and warm, perfect to give Ginny the second part of her presents. 

Harry was sat in the kitchen with Teddy, Andromeda and Ginny just after dinner had finished when Mrs Weasley gave him a pointed look. He slowly nodded as not to attract Ginny's attention and he watched her scurry off into the pantry. Molly walked out with Ginny’s Firebolt 2 wrapped neatly and Harry poked her in the rib cage to stop her playing peek-a-boo with Teddy, who looked thoroughly confused as he wasn't quite old enough for the concept and look at her mother.

“Ginny, as a combined present for your birthday and becoming Quidditch Captain, we decided to buy you a new broom.” Mrs Weasley said, Mr Weasley, wrapping his arms around her. Ginny’s eyes lit up and Harry could see the wheels turning behind them wondering if this could, in fact, be the broom of her dreams. Harry knew that she knew that Harry had given her mother a huge pile of gold, even if he had been trying to be subtle. After Mrs Weasley handed him the broom it wasn’t long until all the paper wrapping it was on the floor. Ginny was almost in tears of happiness when she realised it was a Firebolt. She practically jumped over the table to hug her parents. 

“Oh, Mum, Dad, you _shouldn’t_ have, this is amazing. You are both amazing. Thank you so much. Can I go and try it?” She was bouncing on the balls of her feet and Harry was incredibly happy that she was so excited. He felt light and carefree, just like he had on his own birthday, and wanted this feeling to never end. He felt her pull him out of his seat and into the garden after her parents had said yes. He brought Teddy with him, holding him tight, so he could watch Ginny do what she did best.

“So, is that what that little tease session in front of QQS was supposed to cover up? Mum buying this? If it was you are so going to get payback.” She grinned not so much evilly, but most certainly, in a Machiavellian way. “But thank you, dear, this is the best present ever.”

“Of course, it was. But why does that make it any less enjoyable." kissing her forehead, "It’s quite alright Gin. I thought you deserved a decent broom before you head off into that amazing quidditch career you'll have.” Harry winked at her. She smiled, and he leaned in to kiss her again but stopped next to her ear, holding Teddy on his hip, “As for the best present ever, just wait until tonight.” He put all the lust he was feeling for her into his speech leaving her in no uncertain mind what he meant. He enjoyed watching her shiver in anticipation. Ginny had that glint in her eye. The one she always had when she was contemplating dirty things.

He watched as she mounted the broom and hovered next to him, leaning down to kiss him and Teddy who giggled, before leaning forward and shooting off. Harry, who was used to following a tiny golden ball, was having a hard time keeping up with how fast she was moving. He was always impressed by how graceful she looked in the air, how much it suited her. He watched her blister through the trees and push into a very neat little split S, brushing her feet along the ground in front of his face. She was going to be unstoppable this year. She rolled over in the air sticking her tongue out at Harry. He just stood there with Teddy marvelling at his girlfriend, telling the little man more about her. He was gazing at her as well, murmuring '' 'in 'in".

Harry almost dropped him in shock. That was his first ever identifiable word and much to Harry's annoyance made him slightly jealous as it was Ginny's name rather than his own, but he did really have himself to blame.

"Who is that Teddy? Is it Ginny?" Harry lifted Teddy's arm up and pointed at the woman zooming through the air six feet above his head.

"'In 'in." He squealed and his hair, that was black, turned bright red. Harry's heart pounded, Teddy had just done an amazing thing, he had associated a name with a blur and spoken it aloud.

At that moment the family came out to watch Ginny practising and after she had performed another, much, looser split S she landed.  Harry was paying more attention to Teddy and his random chattering and only looked up when he heard her speak.

"Would you like to play a game?" She asked, the smile on her face spread from ear to ear, rather menacingly robotically to her brothers.

"No!" Harry, Ron, George and Bill all screamed in unison. "I want to keep my reputation intact thank you miss," Harry said what the others were feeling. Mrs Weasley and Fleur rolled their eyes at the boys and went back in, followed swiftly by Mr Weasley and Bill. Ginny cackled evilly and balancing the broom across her shoulders stood on her tip-toes to kiss Harry. She knew that it drove him mad, that it would make he try and jump her. As soon as she had finished the light caress then she proceeded to, quite amazingly, float upwards hanging onto the broom by her arms and drifted upwards away from him. Teddy screamed in utter pleasure at this sight. Harry didn't even think that it was possible. She gave Harry a gentle poke in the face with her toes as they got to that level. He scowled at her and tapped his foot before gazing dreamily at her wondering, again, how he got such amazing person in his life as she pulled herself onto the broom and started to dodge the gnomes being flung at her by George and Ron in lieu of bludgers.

"She really is something on a broom isn't she Harry?" Hermione said quietly in his ear whilst taking Teddy from him. Harry quickly zoned back in, he had been staring at Ginny who was now racing George around the garden. He turned to look at the young woman he had spent so many years with and had all those moments in the tent when Ron had left last year. They had bound them together tighter than ever before. Harry sat down on the grass and he thought about how much he loved Hermione. She was the sister he never got to have, and he would miss her as much as he was going to Ginny in September. First time in seven years that he would be learning something and not be seeing her every day or getting nagged by to study. Though she probably would still find a way too. He'd have to learn to take decent, complete notes.

"She is just something. She amazing and I can't imagine my world without her, please look after her next year. Hermione, I am scared for her." Harry's voice was a mixture of utter love and concern. Hermione put her free arm around him as they sat watched George try in vain to chase Ginny down to throw the Quaffle at her. The light was failing, and everything was basked in a light golden hue. "We don't know how hard it is going to be for her to go back. She hasn't reached the depression stage yet and I am concerned that it will hit and hit hard at Hogwarts." Hermione slowly nodded her agreement, but Harry could tell something was on her mind by the way she slowly pushed Teddy's hair out his eyes. He was going to need to get it cut soon or taught how to shorten it himself.

"Yes, I am afraid of that too, I am also afraid for you." She turned to look at him again. Her face was etched in anguish. Ron came and joined them just as George got almost knocked off his broom by how hard Ginny threw the quaffle.

 "You are in the depression stage mate and the only thing keeping you functioning is her and with Ginny gone, you could collapse," Ron spoke up after lacing his arms through Hermione's. She looked around at him and kissed him.

"We both, Ron and I, know what happened after Sirius's death. You were lethargic for weeks, you didn't eat or sleep properly, Merlin, we thought you were trying to kill yourself." Hermione continued.

"It's ok guys, it's not like then. I promise you, and it's not like you are leaving me to do nothing, we have training and its not like I am not going to see her at all. It's just going to be difficult for a while. But I have something to live for, so I am not giving up." Harry tried to reassure them. They remained unconvinced, however, and it was only Ginny's timely interruption that saved him from the continuing inquisition. She stood straddling him as he laid on the ground staring, slightly out of focus, into the sky taking in her face as he'd never see it again. Harry felt Hermione move from next him, heard a mumbled night and suddenly after George panted past them, they were now completely alone in the half-light.

"Hey baby, it's getting dark, I've done playing with my present, for now, I am quite ready for my last present." She knelt down onto his waist and leant down to kiss him. Their kiss was slow but burning, they had no rush this evening and they gently explored each other's mouths as they rolled over in the dark orchard, the stars starting to appear. "Harry, we can't do this here, come on take me to bed." Ginny managed to get out as they took a breather, the tension had just reached the point that if they didn't stop now, they would end up losing all their clothes right then and as much as it would be lovely, Harry thought, to have sex under the stars he and Ginny didn't want to get caught. It would be something that they'd save for another day. Harry stood up and pulled Ginny on to her feet lifting her into his arms and carrying her back to the burrow on his back. She giggled when Harry practically had to crawl through the doorway as not to let her go. Andromeda was in the kitchen, getting ready to leave and Harry, still holding onto Ginny gave her and Teddy a long one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ginny lent around Harry's head and gave Andromeda a kiss too and smiled when Teddy, very sleepily, mumbled 'in 'in. Andromeda had the same reaction as Harry, who had completely forgotten, and cheerfully left the burrow.

“Harry, he said my name! My name, it is amazing.” Ginny was essentially bouncing in the air, the thoughts of the events outside momentarily forgotten.

“Well yeah, it is amazing; he is growing up very fast. It is impressive to watch. Though it isn’t that amazing he said your name. I was saying it to him a lot today so not surprised.” Laughed Harry, feeling Ginny face turn from grinning to looking suspicious as he talked. “What?”

“Why were you talking about me to a five-month-old baby?” This caused Harry to laugh harder and nearly drop her.  As it was, he lowered her onto the floor so that he could face her, wrapping his hands around her waist and tucking his hands into her back pockets.

“Well, I told him about the time I asked about the diadem of Ravenclaw and you swiftly put Cho in her place and I then as you were flying about, I told him about the time you hopped on an invisible thestral and flew to the Ministry and rescued Luna even though you shattered your ankle. In short, I told him how amazing you are and how much I love you.” With this Ginny started to drag him upstairs shouting a quick goodnight to her parents. They didn’t even make it to the stairs though. Harry apparated them onto their bed, they fell so Ginny was on top of Harry and already desperately kissing him.

Five minutes later the floor was covered in clothes, the door muffled, and Ginny was about two-thirds of the way to her first orgasm of the night, busy snatching breaths through murmured 'oh Merlin, mhmm, right there, ooh fuck', courtesy of Harry’s amazing tongue on her clit. What he lacked in the ability to use that tongue to convey feelings he more than made up for with raw ability at causing her to lose her mind.

“Harry, oh, Harry please, please take me. I need to feel you. Please, ahhhh. There right there fuck don’t stop. Please, Harry, fill me with that rock hard cock.” Ginny managed to force out during the moments she could breathe. Harry was enjoying teasing her, he had brought her very close and then had stopped touching her pussy with his tongue directly. He was kissing everywhere around it, the inside of her thighs, It didn’t stop the wave of pleasure that he had built from breaking the dam though, as with his fingers he had been gently stroking the upper wall of her. As she came down off her high Harry laid his head on her tummy slowly tracing his fingers.

“Enjoy that?” The piercing look he received back was clear, ‘No fucking shit I enjoyed that. Now fuck me.’ he laughed, moved his head from her tummy and started to kiss her again. “Are you sure?” Harry asked. He was still having problems with his nobility, despite the last two weeks. In response, Ginny moved her hand to close around his throbbing dick and started to rub him along the length of her soaking pussy. Harry could feel the heat coming from her and had in an involuntary moment gently thrust forwards and entered her. That had been her plan all along. There was a sharp intake of breath from both of them, Harry shocked at how tight she was and how good it felt. Ginny on her part was surprised about how little it hurt after Hermione and her’s conversation on the subject but then Ginny had always enjoyed fucking herself more and had in fact accidentally broken her hymen about a year and a half before.  Still, she gave Harry a look to get him to stop for a moment for her to get used to him she was after all, officially, a virgin.

Moments later, her eyes flashing with craving, she begged him to start moving. He obliged, for it was impossible to say no to that woman. Not long after Harry was ready to finish; it occurred to him, only after he started to move in Ginny, that they should have probably done something to relieve him before they started. She was far, far too tight for him to last any time at all. Harry could feel himself reaching the end and slammed the brakes on, taking his time over each movement into her. Ginny was so close herself and had started to thrust upwards into Harry to get him deeper and harder. She had shut her eyes and was reliant the sensations coursing through her to tell her Harry had slowed down.

“Harry don’t you dare slow down. I am so, so, so close. Fuck!” Hearing her voice, filled with so much need for him and so insistent, made the last bit of self-control Harry had disappeared and next thing he knew he was filling her completely with himself. Harry felt Ginny start to clamp around him and he knew from that special guttural moan that escaped Ginny’s lips that she had finished also.  

“And that is your memory.” Harry laughed and winked; his wrist had been blazing all afternoon, at the faint green glow was emanating from Ginny’s neckline. She laughed and pulled him tight to her chest. He slowly moved from between her legs and after reaching down for his wand he waved it and all the juices that had followed harry out on to the bed vanished. Ginny rolled onto her side to face Harry.

“Could you be any more perfect Harry?” Ginny asked snuggling into him. After their first time they were wiped out and they couldn’t be bothered to sort themselves out, Ginny already have taken her contraceptive potion, guessing that this was Harry's plan, falling blissfully asleep for a few hours before waking up again and having round two and three, Harry astonished at how much better it was each time they did it. The awkward fumbling was still there, on Harry’s half anyway, but it stopped feeling as problematic.

The two and half weeks between that night and the first had gone quietly, but quickly, Harry felt. Back at the here and now on the first of September Harry, who had been enjoying his memories, closed his eyes again and hoped to sleep until next July when the sprawled redhead would never let him go. He realised, of course, that he couldn't do that. He had to get up and take Ginny to the Train and then to finish taking his stuff over to the flat. Then in a week, he had to start his training. He couldn't wait though potions would, in all honesty, kill him.

Just then Ginny moaned gently and pushed hard up against him, Harry realised he had been gently rolling her nipple under his thumb. He stopped, to allow her to sleep some more, only for Gin to wake up and roll on top of him.

"Morning gorgeous," Ginny moaned in his ear, licking the lobe slightly. "This is the last time we will get to do this for a little while. I am thinking that Hogsmeade weekends I apparate here for the day and spend them with you." She started moving down his body planting kisses and gently biting. "In bed."

"I love that plan, Miss Weasley." Harry managed to get out through gently moans. She had just got to down to his boxers and about to pull his cock out when there was a knock at the door. They both groaned as the world had just rudely reminded them that they had to get up if they were going to get her to the train on time.

"Wake up children, you have an hour or so to get ready." Mrs Weasley's voice floated through the door. Ginny, which much reticence, rolled off the bed and started to get dressed.

Breakfast that morning was a subdued affair for the four of them and Mrs Weasley. They ate silently not wanting to voice the pain of separation that was on their minds.

They all apparated to King’s Cross station, Ginny having passed her own apparition just four days earlier, arriving by ten forty-five. The station was quiet and peaceful as they walked through to the barrier. Harry, who was expecting a mass crowding, went through first.  Harry had another pang of nostalgic regret as he saw the big, red, gently hissing steam train and was again regretting his decision, looking at all the bright, young faces that filled the platform.  Behind him, he felt Hermione cross the barrier and then Ginny. There was a funny strangled noise that came from a few of the closest people as they realised who he was and in good grace, they left him alone as he walked down the platform holding on to Ginny for dear life. There weren’t the normal faces on the platform this time as all his own friends had finished last year apart from Dean Thomas, who didn’t finish because of being muggle-born, but who was now going to work in the ministry repairing relations with Muggles and Muggle-borns.   

They stopped about a third of the way down the platform near the door for the Head Girl’s compartment. It was very awkward saying good-bye. Harry, not wanting to face saying goodbye to Ginny, pulled his surrogate sister to one-side to say bye as Ginny was saying her farewells to Ron and her mother.

"Do you remember what you said to me in the Forest of Dean after the events of Godric's hollow?" Harry asked, and Hermione smiled.

"Yes, that we should give up and grow old there in peace." Hermione held his hand close to her chest. She couldn't leave her boys like this. 

"Aren't you glad we didn’t? Though, I admit, the choice was never there.” Harry laughed internally, not four or five hours had passed before Ron reappeared, and the beginning of the end was begun. “Please, look after her, yourself and don't worry about Ron or myself. We will be fine.” Harry insisted before pausing and continuing. “Oh, and don’t go making new best friends, Ron would never forgive you. Not sure I would either come to think of it.” Harry jokingly informed her after stroking his three-day stubble covered chin. “Not that you would." He quickly added at a glare from Hermione. When she didn’t stop, he lifted his hands up in defeat and turned to Ginny who kissed him softly on the nose.

“Harry. I am going to miss you so much this year. At least we have the mirrors, I’ll call you up after the feast I promise.” She had tears streaming down her face as she kissed him. It was short and bitter tasting from the tears that were now rolling down Harry’s face as well, but it conveyed everything that they hadn’t said that morning. "You had better not have a beard when I see you next, it feels weird."

“You best do, I’ll owl to McGonagall about coming to watch the first and last matches of the season and you best stay on her good side. Oh, and keep an eye on Hermione. I love you so much, Ginny Weasley.” Just then the whistle blew for final boarding. Harry helped Ginny lift up her trunk into the train before pulling her off the stairs to kiss her passionately, leaning her over so far that she was almost off her feet. He placed her back on the step and she managed to shut the door just in time for the train to pull off. She and Hermione called out ‘I love you’ and Harry and Ron stood there side by side waving at their girls as the train puffed around the corner and out of sight.

When the last of the smoke cleared Ron turned to face Harry, he looked as sad as Harry felt, his own eyes puffy and red.

“So, what are we doing now?” Harry asked, closing his eyes in thought.

“Well, I am taking my clothes over the flat, but I have to drop in with Fred and George, they asked for some help." Ron looked confused for a moment. "No wait I mean George and Percy.” 

“That sounds like a plan. I’ll see you later, have fun at WWW.” Harry said as they left the platform and stepped into Muggle King’s Cross. Ron found a quiet spot and disapparated to the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

Harry disapparated back to the burrow and after crying a little in Ginny’s room set about tiding his clothes into a bag. After hugging Mrs Weasley for five minutes, he apparated into his new bedroom and although it wasn't even one in the afternoon, Harry found himself crashed out on his bed, his emotional level completely drained. As he drifted off to sleep his old lethargy came barrelling back and Harry, grudgingly, thought Ron and Hermione might be right. He could be in for a harder time of it than he ever cared to admit. There he stayed, fully clothed, until he heard Ron apparate in and knock a glass over causing it to clink loudly on the floor about four hours later. Harry walked into the kitchen to get something to eat and saw the glass that had dropped had a single large crack along its length from the fall.

The feast at Hogwarts had not even started yet and Harry already felt in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been reading every time a chapter goes up, do us a favour and go back and read Chapter 2. I just edited it again and it is better, though still a prick to Ron. Sorry Ron.


	6. Meeting the Team, Doing what Students Do!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Ron are starting their lives, meeting new people and getting extremely drunk.

Harry stirred, with a massive headache, when the sunlight started streaming across his face through his half-cracked window. It was earlier than he wanted but he knew, as he stretched out in his bed, that he was never going to go back to sleep and he really needed to get moving as it was the day they were starting their training. He gently opened his eyes and stared, slightly out of focus, at the picture of Ginny asleep that was on his bedside cabinet. His headache was just behind his eyes and as he reached for hi which was nothing to do with the tears rolling down his face. He missed her so much even though it was only a couple of weeks since he had last physically seen her. He jumped a mile when his alarm clock started ringing. He turned it off, closed his eyes as he placed his glasses on his face and sat upright. Wobbling slightly from the pain he rolled off his double bed onto the carpeted floor face first stopping his fall with his arms. Once there he started to move into his twenty push-ups for that morning. It had become his routine as it burnt out his pent-up frustration and anger that built during the night as he dreamt. Decent sleep was a rare thing once again for Harry lately. 

"Harry, you need to eat this morning we have a long day today. Kingsley will not be pleased if you fall asleep in front him and Auror Anderson." Ron called to him, laughing when he opened the door to find Harry just in boxers halfway through the upstroke of Harry's fifteenth push up. Harry smiled at his best friend's tone and after hearing his pad towards the shower Harry left his room to eat breakfast and take painkillers.

A little while later Harry had finished his own shower and was pulling on some black robes for his first-day training. It was an induction into the Ministry and introduction to the other Aurors and Harry was a tad nervous. Joining Harry and Ron was Neville, whom Harry was ecstatic to be spending time with again, and at least three other people he had no knowledge of as they were either older than him or in different houses at Hogwarts, though he knew their names were Alastair Chase, Charlie Richardson and Alice Locke. He shuffled into the kitchen and was pouring himself a cup of tea to swallow some paracetamol when Ron came bouncing into the room his flash of red hair flopping all over the place. He stopped when he saw Harry holding the little white pill.

"What is _that_ Harry?" Ron asked, his usual tone of 'what?' plastered all through his voice, interlaced with a deep concern.

"Painkillers, I bought them a couple of days ago, my head has been pounding and I don't know how to stop it with magic, so I am using some muggle magic," Harry replied holding his forehead tightly. He had about fifteen minutes before it started working, about the right time for them to get into the ministry.

"That doesn't look like it will do anything." Ron looked momentarily dismayed but resolved himself stepping towards the fireplace. "Anyway, put your shoes on, we will be late if you go any slower." His bouncing had returned, and he shuffled away. Harry realised he should be as excited as Ron, it was his first-day training for the career he had wanted for so long after all. He felt energy flow into him and he smiled brightly at Ron. 

"Mate, it's our first day. The first day of Auror training, we made it. Despite everything, even death itself." Harry was beaming now, and Ron smiled back. He felt some of the headache slide away.

"Yes, yes we have, now you've cheered up a bit let's go," Ron said and stepped through the fire. Harry walked over to the fire he summoned his shoes, caught them, slipping them on before stepping into the grate.

The Atrium was the same as it had been the last time he had been here, his eyes flicking over the bustling crowds that swarmed around the simple golden fountain that replaced the magic is might statue. Harry and Ron started towards the lifts so they could go to the MLE offices to start their Induction. Having seen Neville about ten feet in front of them Harry called out his name causing him to turn around on his heel and his face lit up when he spotted them. He slowed down and started to loiter by the lifts.

"Morning Harry, Ron. How are you both today?" Neville asked his two friends. Harry rolled his hand signifying so-so. As the French would say he was comme-ci comme-ca.

"Yeah pretty good cheers Nev, you?" Ron asked, cheerfully, closing the lift door in front of them.

"Glad to be starting training I was getting bored at home. Gran says hello, by the way, she is very proud of me." 

"That's excellent Neville." Harry was very pleased for his friend. His grandmother was a scary, stern woman who, Harry believed, was under the impression that Neville was a lesser copy of his father. Of course, he had proven himself more than up to scratch in the Battle of Hogwarts leading to his current enrolment into auror training.

The lift finished clanking and opened onto the floor for the department of magical law enforcement. They started to move slowly, almost creeping, forward through the thronging corridor towards the aurors department. There were people Harry recognised all over place entering and exiting offices and cubicles, including the bastard of a custody sergeant who just scowled at Harry; and there was the odd genial 'Hello Harry, Ron, Neville. Your first day is it? Good luck.' called out from across the room from members of the MLE that had fought at the Battle of Hogwarts or knew Ron's father.

They arrived outside of their new commanding officer's door and were very quickly embroiled in conversation with the five-foot-nout tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed and incredibly pretty young woman who was already there waiting, which as usual, had started with her saying.

"You’re Harry Potter. Well, clearly with that hair and those eyes." Harry nodded a with a smile dancing across his face; it was his physical features, not his scar she noted. She laughed and shook Harry's hand. "Redhead, tall and gangly, you," she pointed to Ron, who currently couldn't get over the fact that she was so short, she barely came up to his chest height, stood there gawping. "You must be Ron Weasley and so that makes you Neville Longbottom." Neville nodded and shook the hand offered to him. "Pleasure to meet all of you at long last, the three wizards that saved wizarding Britain."

"So… you… you must be Alice Locke, sorry we don't know anything about you," Harry replied, laughing as Ron kept trying to measure how tall she was in comparison to himself on, what he thought was, the sly.

“Ah, all in good time, Mr Chosen One, all in good time.” She said, a smile dancing across her lips.

They were quickly Joined by the last two of their little merry band, Alastair Chase and Charlie Richardson. They fell into an easy conversation about their journey in, and how bloody difficult it was to find where they supposed to be. Alastair was a decent height guy, a few centimetres shorter than Harry, with blue eyes and brown hair that just like Harry’s refused to stay looking nice.  Charlie Richardson had a round face, his eyes were a deep brown almost black, with a hearty laugh and a seemingly incurable sense of occasion.

Jack Anderson and Kingsley Shacklebolt, both resplendent in dark blue robes with the ministry monogram embroidered on the breast pocket, appeared and ushered them into a room next to his office.

It was a fairly large briefing room with staggered rows of wooden benches with high desks in front of them. Harry followed Alice Locke into the first row, still laughing at the flirty nature of the woman and the comment that she had floored them all with. Whilst they were getting comfortable on the bench two more men walked into the room and quietly sat directly behind Harry. Behind the lectern, Jack cleared his throat and started to speak. 

"Right, now we are all here. Welcome lady and gentlemen, my name, as you should all know, is Chief Auror Jack Anderson and I am, as of five tonight, your new boss. To my right is the Minister for Magic, my boss." Kingsley nodded at them all and gave Harry a slight wink. "Today is an introduction to your training officer and training regime that will last the next year and a half. It is an accelerated programme as you have all shown excellent proficiency under pressure and in the face of extreme adversity." Harry was listening so intently to Anderson he hadn't seen the middle-aged man slip into the room, but there he was, standing next to Jack. "Recruits meet Auror Robards he is the lead training officer for your group of inductees and will be taking you on a tour of the department."  The two men swapped over, and Harry felt everyone sit a little straighter, this was the man they had to impress.

"Hello cadets, I am Gawain Robards, I am looking forward to putting you through your paces as we drive you towards becoming a full-fledged Auror. Each of you will receive your individual timetables on Monday but the major thrust of the thing is that you will have lessons and practical sessions on magical law, potions, duelling, emergency medical magic and so other things, taught by different aurors and Medi-witches at St Mungo's. Now if you will all follow me, I will guide you around the office." The middle-aged man drawled in a low, well spoken, voice that was not unlike Kingsley's in that it oozed calm and a sense of utter skill and quiet confidence.

All around Harry the neophytes, as Hermione had called them in a fit of showing off, were standing up and walking out of the door. As Harry passed Kingsley he smiled and jumped off the desk he was sat on and walked quietly with Harry following the group of people to the head Auror's office. It was a dark corner of the overall office space, the door reading 'Jack Anderson, Head Auror,' in big golden letters half up the door. Tacked on under this was a sheet of parchment that side 'beware of the puffskein, he bites'. Harry laughed at this, it was comical that a puffskein would bite, he thought that must of been a dig at Jack himself. A cute and cuddly man until poked hard enough who then became, to steal a muggle phrase, ballistic.

"Well people, this is my office." Anderson piped up, "you only come here for one of two reasons, you fucked up, or you fucked up so badly you a need a promotion to keep you out of the way." He smiled, Robards and Kingsley chuckled. Next, to Harry, Ron and Alice looked uneasy, they didn't think it was funny but Harry, who had spent enough time with Dumbledore found it to be pretty funny. "Diagonally across the hall is the commanding officer of the Major Crimes Unit, or the classical aurors, they deal with the major dark wizard threats; then the office by the main door is the chief auror of VIP protection and at the very end of the room is the training officers office, Auror Robards' office." Anderson continued. 

Robards started leading them down a corridor next to the door out into the main magical law enforcement corridor. He stopped about a third of the way down and looked at them, pointing towards the currently black corridor with his thumb.

"Down there is the training theatres and Halls. That's where you'll be spending most of your time so not sure it's worth look at them, you'll get to know every square inch of them. So next stop is Main MLE and the holding cells." He points back the way they had come, and Harry shuddered. He didn't think he'd be back in there so soon and the very thought made his skin crawl with anxiety and hatred.  He must have turned a funny colour because Ron looked at him and give a worried look.

"Whoa, Dude. You ok?" Came the voice of the short woman next to him. Alice had obviously seen the look he had just flashed across his face as well.

"Yes, well sort of, I've spent a couple of hours in those holding cells before. Believe me, it's not an experience I want to try again." Harry said his spinal column shivering with the remembrance of the sense of utter futility and depression that those cells gave him. As they walked through the MLE open office, talking to the officers and taking in the major landmarks, Harry thought about the inmates and Dolohov's face was still seared across his retinas and Harry knew he was unaffected by the cells. Harry had to laugh when he explained to the slightly dumbfounded Alice why he was in the cells.

The cell corridor was just as he remembered it and he could feel that artificially-induced depression and resultant magic drain that the cell doors caused. Of course, it was not as effective as the soul-numbing experience that dementors gave but still a truly terrifying time spent in there. No wonder the custody sergeant was an arsehole if he had to spend all day every day next to that.

"So, _she_ is down there, is she?" Ron whispered, as if afraid that the ‘she’ would hear him. Even after everything they had been through that crazy old hag still had the power to scare the living hell out of Ron.

"Yup, Umbridge is down there," Harry said matter-of-factly to the group, most of whom shuddered and then looked at the back of their hands. Harry stood still, rubbing his foot up and down the back o his leg, by the door as the others moved down towards the cells themselves listening to Robards explain about the cells. Harry didn't bother moving because he had learnt all he had needed to in the two hours that he had spent in one.

"Harry, my friend, you seem down today. What, if I may ask, is wrong?" Kingsley asked Kingsley, who was sat on the booking desk. 

"Life really, I haven't fully come to terms with the end occurring and now Ginny is at Hogwarts, so I am not sleeping properly, I'll be ok when we start training." Kingsley nodded and placed his hand on his young friend's shoulder. He was about to reply when everyone returned. They all huddled around Robards and Anderson.

"Right, ladies, that is us done for the day. Report to the same briefing hall for nine on Monday and we will begin. Dismissed." Robards practically barked out.

As they filtered through the ministry the word pub could be heard all around. Harry thought that was a damn good idea.

Later that night, after going home and talking to their respective partners for an hour via the mirrors, Harry and Ron walked to the Leaky Cauldron. They discovered that they were not the first and, surprisingly, it was Charlie Richardson. They quickly learned that the reason for this was because he lived with his brother, a trainee muggle policeman, just outside London at Henley. So, despite their current locale in the back of the pub at the very heart of wizarding Britain, all three were clothed in their finest muggle pub outfits of jeans and casual button shirts. Richardson hailed them over and got in the first round of drinks, a shot of firewhiskey each of the group that was left on the table for each arriving member to drink. They downed theirs and as Ron stood up to get some more for him, Charlie and Harry, Alice arrived. She looked resplendent in a knee-length deep red dress that didn't leave much to be imagined and her hair neatly curled flowing about her head.

Harry, however, didn't even blink an eye; He was too busy, the thoughts of Ginny that were still swimming around his head from an hour before. They had talked, just talked, about nothing, in particular, but they had spent it laughing and that's all that mattered to Harry. Though her story about Peeves and McGonagall's first fight as her being headmistress was spectacular. Something about lining the Sorting Hat with itching powder.

Charlie looked like his heart was about to quit pumping any moment and Ron just choked. He was never good at not wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

She smiled and after necking the shot, which she placed on her head, she shivered in pleasure as the firewhiskey burned.

"Hello, boys. How are we all this evening?" She asked cheerfully and somewhat flirtatiously as she sat down in a seat. They all took they own time to break from their revere, Harry recovered first, as Charlie still couldn't reconnect his brain.

"Yeah pretty good thank you. You look very pretty tonight, anyone would think you were trying to steal us away from our girlfriends." Harry replied smoothly, whilst smiling internally. It still felt good to say that. Ginny was his girlfriend.

Alice opened her mouth to speak but instead, a loud huzzah left her lips at the sight  Neville and Alastair popping into existence from the green flames in the grates that the three young men echoed gaining a glower from Tom the Barman as the other patrons jumped, some spilling their drinks. It was a rather loud huzzah. Neville raised his hand in apology and Tom shuffled away.

"Why don't I get such a cheer like that when I appear lads?". Alice said, giving the newcomers hugs as they sat down around the table, with that sarcastic pout again.

"Well, you aren't a 'Lad' are you _miss_ Locke. I mean you are just girl aren't you. Oh, and why don't we get a hug?" Ron bit back sounding just as sarcastic. Collectively Harry, Neville, Chris and Alastair all slammed their hands hard against faces, mentally, simultaneously. They had learnt very quickly that this 5' OH woman was a feminist at heart. And a firebrand one too.

"Just because I am a woman doesn't mean I am not a lad, or will we have to arm wrestle to prove my point? Did your sister not teach anything to you?" She sounded quite affronted but still a manic grin passed over her face and she placed her arm on the table opposite Ron's, quite ready to stuff him. "Are you a man or a mouse Ronald?"

"Give it up Ron, you are going to lose this, and we don't want to humiliate you in front of the entire pub before your first day." Neville was smirking now; his glass was now sat on his head too. Ron slumped in defeat giving Alice a curt bow. Harry and Charlie both put their hands on Ron's back consolingly. Alice sat upright, her smile wide and her gaze lingering on Charlie's face, with a look of extreme interest. Harry noticed but Charlie had not.

Just then Alastair Chase stood up, silently, and walked over to the bar signalling Tom over to him. Apparently, it was his turn to buy. He had been here for ten minutes and hadn't said a word.

"Oh, Ron it's funnier to wind you up than be nice to you. . ." Alice said apologetically letting her voice die away with her trademark sarcastic smile lingering on her lips; after the scrape of Alastair's chair had ceased.

“Not you too? Do I just have one of those faces?” Ron moaned, looking at Harry for support. Harry just shrugged and turned to Charlie.

Ron looked at Neville who also shrugged but then smiled and asked him how the flat was.

So, Harry turned to Charlie to ask about his brother. "Does your brother, you know, know about . . ." Harry started but trailing off as he wasn't entirely sure how to broach the subject of a split muggle/wizard family.

"Yes, of course, he does. He is only a year younger than me. He was gutted when he didn't get his letter, but he didn't mind, he enjoyed muggle life too much to really care, couldn't live without TV so we still get along swimmingly. It comes with the fact that our father is a serving detective chief superintendent. He laughed when I said I was going to start training as a wizard policeman, but I hope he is proud of me continuing the tradition. I would like to. . ." Richardson explained, Harry's face becoming less confused.

"What's a detective chef supper-in-a-tent?" Ron asked, his face calm but his accidental cutting over Richardson revealing his confusion, causing Harry to laugh. But before he could start to explain Chase had returned with brand new glasses full of firewhiskey.

As each of the trainees received theirs, they lifted it high in the gloomy air of the pub for a toast.

"The end of the war, good friends and training." Neville injected and there was a considerable clink as they all touched glasses together.

"Good Friends". They all echoed, in a strange morose liturgy, depression kicking in for all the people they had lost.

"Right, now we have that outta the wae; drink up ye silly bastards we haven't got all night." Alastair broke the moment and they all downed their drinks. Harry was shocked. It was the first time he had heard Chase speak, the noise was a deep rumble sound laced the accent he didn’t recognise. Someone had told him Alastair was from Fife and now he could well believe it.

He relished in that magical (no pun intended of course, or was there? Harry wasn't sure. It was his second or was it a third shot of the night and it was only half past eight.) burn that slipped down his throat and collected into his stomach. He was reminded of the night he left privet drive and Mad-Eye had been killed. Sitting in the Burrow clutching his firewhiskey, drinking as Fleur insinuated that Hagrid was a traitor and as he struggled with his own conflicted thoughts about staying with them. Was that night only just over a year ago? Harry thought. So much had changed, for the better, but changed it had.

To take his mind off it he stood up, gingerly, and he wandered over to the bar. It was the first time he had actually looked closely at the bar, usually, he'd just sit at a table and order food. It was old, very old, solid oak which was stained, in places, a weird dark purple colour clearly from hundreds of years of firewhiskey and other beverages being slopped all over the bar by drunken wizards and witches. Behind it, there were what looked like thousands of bottles of all different sizes and shapes stacked high into the ceiling.

"Same again?" He called out to everyone who cheered again, Harry waving his hand dismissively. He wasn't sure why he bothered asking, but it seemed polite.

He fished out a Galleon from his jeans pocket as Tom glided over with six more glasses full of fire-whiskey suddenly appearing in front of Harry. Tom laughed and handed the Galleon back to Harry after he had given it to him.

Harry walked back to the table with the glasses and passed them around, his own still in his hand. He sat down next to Ron and closed his eyes. A glass had been knocked over on a table, nearby, clinking. He breathed in slowly, his chest filling with air and exhaled even slower allowing the frivolities to wash over him. He opened his eyes as Charlie was finishing a joke that Harry had only half heard. He laughed with everyone else and finally he allowed himself to relax and just for a moment forget everything apart from that redhead whose smell filled his imagination and he heard her voice saying 'it's over darling; we are free. Now let's live.' Harry then told the group a new joke he heard on the walk here that caused everyone to laugh heartily and the drink flowed some more. From Alice's pocket this time.

The night continued from there with Alastair regaling them with the story of his heroism in the face of extreme danger, by not pissing his pants like his friend, when the death eaters came knocking at their shop due to rumours of Muggle-borns. He and a sixth year brought down a death eater who had surprised Flitwick by picking him up by the scruff of his neck. It was then Alice's turn and she explained about her harbouring her best friend from Hogwarts with her parents. Her journey took them along how they had been split up and that she and her friend survived in the wild for the last two months of the war before fighting at Hogwarts. She got badly knocked about by the explosion that had killed Fred and was in St. Mungo's for three weeks. Harry remembered seeing her as one of the wounded being treated by Madam Pomfrey.

"Any lingering scars then Locke? Harry has a buggered up finger and I have a particularly nasty set of scars from when I was attacked by a brain.” Ron asked pointedly, as he waved Harry's left hand in the air. Harry glared at him and Ron put his hand down.

"Maybe I do Weasley. What's it to you?" Alice retorted.

"Well as matter of fact I just wanted to know who was the hardest one of us." He said whilst matter-of-factly looking at his fingernails.

"You show me your’s little girl and I'll show you mine." Alice teased. She was just as tipsy as Ron. Neville yelped as Ron stood up and started to pull off his shirt. In a way to say bring it on bitch. Harry managed to stop him and pulled h back into his seat before he discarded his shirt and Charlie had pulled Alice into his lap, quite accidentally, stopping her from ripping her own clothes off. But neither of them looked particularly like they wanted to let go of each other as she slipped off his lap, indeed they both looked rather flustered.

By this point, Harry was on his fifth or sixth drink, or maybe ninth or tenth of the evening and was feeling mentally numb so the normal pang of guilt that would come with conversations like this barely registered. That is until Charlie broke down, his broad shoulders shuddering with the tears of his own guilt. 

They all watched as Charlie explained how he saw Remus Lupin get killed by Dolohov. He had been close enough to Lupin to 'watch the lights go out' as Lupin fell back onto the ground just as he, Charlie, had to tried to curse Dolohov to stop him. Charlie hadn't spoken about it since that night and he wasn't sure any more if he could let go or even forgive himself, but it felt right to tell them. This struck a chord with Harry, who then reached across the table and put his hand on Charlie's.

 "Charlie, you cannot bottle it up. Trust me, I know it wasn't your fault and I know you couldn't do anything to help, so let it go." Harry had stood up and walked around the table giving Richardson a tight hug. After a moment the rest all stood up and had a group hug. Which of course looked a bit strange, four near or over six-foot men and one five foot woman in a circle hugging. Alice kind of was lost under the arms of Charlie and Alastair causing her to giggle flirty as she got a face full of pecs.

“Plus, you know, the bastard is in jail awaiting trial, so it's not like he is hurting anyone else,”  Neville said, to which everyone cheered though not as loud as last time.

They stayed there at their corner table until 11ish when Tom called last orders.

Harry and Ron were extremely drunk by the end of the night. Or as Alastair had put it 'pissed as a fucking mushroom on a Glaswegian pavement'. Glad that their flat was only a ten-minute walk away they had said their goodbyes in the pub and had left, staggering slightly all over the pavement singing a song about Merlin and his underpants. At one moment Ron had to pull on Harry's collar to stop him from falling into the road and several times they had to stop each other walking into walls. At least there were drunk muggles all around Harry thought to himself in just about as a coherent fashion as he was. They got back to the flat about 1:45 as the ten minute walk turned into a oh-let's-get-something-to-munch-on-let's-find-a-shop, marathon that ended up with Ron being sent outside by Harry because he was shouting very loudly about how the fridge was the single most weird thing he had ever seen even over the talking box with people in it above the till and the shop owner getting all confused and shifty about the young man asking him how he, as a bona fide muggle, survived without magic.

Harry had bought Ron a large king-sized Twix, of which, he was still marvelling over when he fell face first into his bed. Apparently, alcohol did not sit well with Ron's mind his growing ability to mingle with the muggles being stripped away. 

For Harry's part when he had got them home, he just lost his coordination and had a strange fit of the giggles to which he had no explanation. Harry climbed into bed, discovering in the process, as many drunk teenagers have, that placing his foot on the floor stopped the world spinning when he closed his eyes and his need to hurl. Stripping his clothes off and finally falling asleep. The ghosts did not appear to him that night.

However, that morning the ghosts of the previous evening did, in fact, come fully into focus as Harry was awoken by a pounding headache. It grated with Harry that the damage was his fault. Glad that it was a Saturday he tried to get out of bed, for some ibuprofen and a glass of water but instead he found himself face first in his duvet. He was pleasantly surprised that he had not thrown up that night but, as the world started to spin slowly again Harry had the horrible thought that he was going to. This suspicion wasn't helped by the loud crash and 'ouch, who the fuck put a cone in the hall' and then hurried footsteps, followed by the extremely violent retching noise that marked Ron's return to the land of the living.

In this instant Harry gave up the day as a lost cause and, still in his clothes and still face first on his duvet, he fell asleep once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just realised that I do these as almost diary entries, single day per chapters. i am not sure why this is the case but I feel like it works because there is no 'antagonist' apart from himself, so for the next while its probably going to continue, sorry if that is a problem.


	7. Friday: A Swirling Storm in a Tea Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry Potter has started training in earnest and all is not well, but McGonagall has given Ginny permission to visit Harry overnight so that should cheer him up.

"Mr Potter, this is a truly excellent blood replenishing potion. I thought you were supposed to be mediocre at potions?" Stewart Harrison asked, almost indignantly, pointing at the gently swirling potion in front of him. Harry just shrugged in response. He didn't understand it either, but he had certainly was currently much better at potions than he'd ever been, even compared to his time with Slughorn. Maybe it is the lack of Snape hovering over him making snide comments, as much as Snape had redeemed himself in Harry's eyes, the vindictive bastard side of him still irked Harry when he thought about it. Or maybe, the thought evolved into his head, Snape's pieces of advice scribbled into his old textbook had actually permeated his brain. In the end, Harry conceded that he was better because and despite his old master, that amazingly brave bastard. "Well Mr Potter, you are free to go. Remember you have that presentation on what to do with minor curse damage next Thursday in front of everyone." Healer Harrison reminded Harry, not that he needed to be, as he stood up from the desk that they had been talking across leaving his flask of potion.

"Yes, I know, thank you, sir, have a pleasant weekend," Harry said curtly before turning to leave the room.

“And you too, Harry, actually try to take care of yourself,” Medic Harrison said, as Harry was holding the door for the next student, a trainee healer who entered with a flask of potion that was distinctly gold. Harry nodded once more and turned left out of the room onto a tiny corridor and found himself in the middle of St Mungo's training floor, which was at the very top of the building, where there was a series of lecture halls, practise halls, potion brewing rooms and offices. Harry, Ron and Neville had spent six weeks, or in other words, since the start of the training, in this place. For at least three hours, three days a week they were holed up on the lecture theatres learning about emergency first aid and advanced potions. However, today neither Ron or Neville were in St. Mungo's as they were currently sat in their lecture on magical law in the training department of the Ministry, one that Harry would have to suffer on Tuesday. He, possibly wrongly, used lectures to catch up on the sleep he hadn't had during the night as he always found it easier to sleep with human voices present. Magical Law was both interesting and severely tedious, depending of course on the lecturer. Michael Bently had a slow, ponderous, voice but extremely funny examples for the laws he was teaching, including a humorous anecdote, about a man trying to sell a cauldron to a goblin. Robards had a more lively tone of voice but was generally more stilted.

Harry was, for the first time in six weeks, almost a happy man. He was happy because that day was a special day, it was the first match of the Hogwarts Quidditch season and it was a Gryffindor-Slytherin match. The three of them, Ron, Neville and himself, were allowed an afternoon off from duelling practice, not that they needed it their tutor admitted, to go and watch, because of Harry’s increasing problems with his health.

Harry disapparated from the bright white corridor with the slightest hint of a crack and reappeared in his dark flat. He did so because he needed a shower before going to see Andromeda for their, now, weekly chat as it was hot in that office and he had been sweating rivulets because it had been his first potion to be examined. He appeared in his and Ron's flat in the corner that said on a piece of paper tacked to the wall in big letters 'apparition corner, do not clutter'. A glance over the rest of the room showed how necessary it was. The room was a little bit of a mess; although 'little bit' was an understatement. Ron and himself were not the neatest of fellows at the best of times and the fact that their other halves were currently so very far away hadn't helped their slovenly behaviour. There were clean clothes on the back of the sofa and dirty ones in front of the washing machine, not in the basket just in a mountain, which was by the sink that it was overflowing with dirty plates. Of course, they could have sorted it all by magic, but they were too lazy for even that. There were empty bottles of beer stuck on the wall, ninety-nine of them, in a weird take on the standard muggle song that Ron had decided to do one night about two weeks previous when very drunk, after going out for the night with the guys after their first concealment lesson. They were left there as a reminder never to get that blinding drunk again. They both ended up hurling for an entire day afterwards, causing Harry to wonder if he'd ever feel well again. The hope was that the bottles would help because he had had that thought before on that night after the office induction. When he had finally woken up on that Saturday afternoon, it had been with a severe jolt that had caused him sat bolt upright, which of course was not helped by Ron incessantly poking him in the back of the ribs with his wand, followed by taking one lurch forward to get to the toilet and falling on to his hands and knees whilst throwing up all over Ron's feet. And the afternoon did not get better from there. Ginny very nearly pissed herself laughing at the stories of their drunk meanderings and Harry's subsequent terrible day whilst Ron rubbed it in that he had managed to wake up in the morning and recover.

Harry walked into his bedroom, avoiding the two traffic cones in the hallway, and picked up from his desk, that was scattered with textbooks on from anatomy to advanced shield charms, the marauder's map. He threw it into the air and the map opened completely, hovering about eye level. Once it was unfurled, Harry started searching for Ginny's dot. He found her exactly where she was meant to be, in transfiguration sat between Hermione and Luna. He ran his finger over her name, his face lighting up, then he shut the map and started to strip off as quickly as possible.

His muscular body was still massively bruised, a full seven months since the end of the war. Mostly this was because of the constant duelling practice for training, which also occurred 3 times a week, for an hour before lunch. Since none of the other students, including Ron and Neville, wanted to take Harry on, due to his habit (and ability) of putting them on the floor within seconds and it was starting to piss them off, his duels were usually against full-blown Aurors and even Kingsley had a crack once which ended in them both breathing hard and dripping in sweat the practise room shot halfway to hell.

Harry had also started physical training again when he had downtime; he found it would take his mind off things, though he had only started really having it as part of his routine in the last month after his mental health tanked.

He climbed into their shower and turned the tap on relaxing into the hot water his latest bruises easing their pain whilst he imagined Ginny's hands and lips all over his body as they showered together. That would hopefully happen after the match today because she had permission from McGonagall to leave the castle for the weekend.

Twenty minutes later, he had gotten dressed and tried to comb his hair for once before, in exasperation, giving up and apparated. He was currently eating a sandwich with Andromeda in her kitchen which he was going to finish before taking the nine-month-old with him to Hogwarts. Harry was going to floo to the headmistress’s office, rather than apparate to Hogsmeade because it gave him a little bit of privacy before he went down to the pitch. Ron and Neville decided to brave the Hogsmeade crowds and would meet him at the pitch.

"Busy day, Harry?" 'Dromeda asked, sat the opposite side to him at the large oaken table holding her large mug of tea tightly having just poured them both a cup. Harry was now also sipping on his drink. Teddy was sat in the corner and was playing with his own plush Harry. This one didn't issue sparks but did shout expelliarmus and Harry noticed Teddy enjoyed chewing on his head. He must have reached that age then.

"Nah, not really, had practical potions today and I made, and I quote, 'a truly excellent blood replenishing potion'." Harry laughed and Dromeda smirked, she knew about his trials and tribulations with potions. "My St. Mungo's lecturers love me. But that's because I study hard and get my work in on time. Plus, it helps I am a lovely chap."

"Am I sure they do Harry." She asked smiling rather affectionately. He sounded happier than he had done in weeks, though she knew it wasn’t going to last. Harry knew Andromeda knew that it wasn’t going to last because she had been concerned when about three weeks previous, he had stopped taking any care of himself what-so-ever. He stopped eating properly, stopped shaving and stopped sleeping, all Harry could do was study. Andromeda had contacted everyone including Ginny, Hermione and Mr and Mrs Weasley about a week back because Ron had been to see her. He was just as concerned as she was about Harry's mental health as well as his physical wellbeing. Harry couldn't explain it, he was harbouring some extremely dark thoughts, he was just tired of life, tired of existing, not that he told anyone they didnt need to know. Ron and Andromeda sat down with him after their conference and had staged a mini-intervention that consisted of them telling Harry he was seriously depressed and if he needs them, they were there which, Harry noticed, helped his overall mood. They had also, along with Kingsley, booked him into an appointment with a St Mungo's shrink that he went to see every other Thursday afternoon. Yesterday's meeting went well, talking about how he felt about giving up responsibility. He had received an official invite to the first game, not long after the initial intervention cheering him up a little every day until that morning when he was practically bursting.

"How long do you think the match will be?" Andromeda asked, seeing the glazed look on Harry's eyes.

"I don't honestly know, all the same, I don't think it will last that long from what she was saying about her team, they are going to wipe the floor of Slytherin." Harry started, beaming, slightly manically, the old Quidditch rivalry reigniting in his soul and made him feel strangely alive.

"Is that so Mr Potter? I rather doubt it, Slytherin has always been a better house then Gryffindor!" Andromeda gave Harry a dark and serious look, looking so much like her sister, then burst into laughter at the sight of Harry turning ashen-faced. "Oh Harry, you know I don't think that. Most dangerous house of all time. Has the power to turn people into stark raving power mongers, named Bellatrix and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Though she was always had a particularly wide nasty streak, even for our family." She said, musing into her tea. Harry noticed she was looking as tired of life as he felt, though he knew that feeling wasn't as deep, despite also losing almost everyone she cared for in the war. Ted first, then Nymphadora and Remus. Hell, Harry knew that she felt grief for her deranged sister. Which, he had reminded her, made 'Dromeda a better person than either of her sisters, though Narcissa had started her rehabilitation with society with her false declaration of his death.

"Don't do that to me 'Dromeda, you nearly gave me a bloody heart attack. No pulling on Black family history. And are we seriously going to dick about still with all this You-Who-Know who business? He is completely dead this time, I’m one thousand percent sure of this fact. In fact, fuck it," Harry was exclaiming vehemently and hadn't realised he had sworn till Andromeda gave him an amused dark look nodding towards Teddy as a reminder that he was far, far too young to know such words. "I know where he has ended up and I know what he looks like and it isn't the great and powerful dark lord that we know and hate, so for the love of Merlin call him by his name. Tom, or at the very least Voldemort." Harry just carried on with his little rant. Teddy was young enough, and distracted enough, to not repeat what Harry had just blurted out, though he did need to rein in his language.  Andromeda just shrugged which further infuriated Harry.

"Old habits die hard, very hard sometimes. It's been the norm for over twenty years, I am sorry Harry."

"They still have to die," Harry said with a steely edge that sounded like it could cut through diamond.  Andromeda nodded slowly in agreement and the two sat quietly watching the young child nibble on Harry's ear.

An hour later after drinking his tea and playing with Teddy on the floor by pretending to a dragon, Harry was ready to leave and Andromeda and Teddy were standing by the fireplace saying goodbye.

"I'll see you in a few days Harry." He smiled at them both, kissing Teddy on the forehead before he threw the powder in causing the flames to change colour. Harry took one step forward into the grate enjoying the familiar sensation of floo flames.

"Headmistress' office, Hogwarts." He announced before being pulled downwards through the swirling mass of fireplaces.

Next thing he knew he landed, quite gracefully, with both feet on the floor of the headmistress' office. He had barely had a chance to look around, though it didn't look like much had changed when that voice spoke. He froze, his mind taken back two years to this office, mere hours before everything had gone wrong.

"Harry! How are you, my dear boy? You are looking physically well at any rate, but how do you feel?" Dumbledore's portrait said quite genially, almost like they had bumped into each other in the street, disarming Harry. He slowly turned on the spot and looked up at those electric blue eyes, and straight away felt that X-ray vision, with which he held eye contact.

"I am feeling better than I was Professor, as you well know. No doubt you've had your spies on me, Dilys," he tore his eyes away from the seated image of Dumbledore and looked at the portrait of the witch that he passed as he walked through St Mungo's who tried to look innocent but only half-heartedly. "And you, Everard." His eyes slid across to the man, whose portrait in the Ministry of Magic had saved Mr Weasley's life, coming up to three years previous.

"What can I say, we like to keep tabs on Hogwarts' prodigal sons. After all, they seem to do great things. Plus, you know, we had heard that you were a little bit depressed, so I thought I might see if we," Everard said in a tone that made it quite certain he meant all the portraits in the room. "could lend a hand in your recovery. Even Phineas offered his assistance." As he finished his speech there was a very sly cough that was tinged with a dry and posh drawl. Harry flicked his eyes up at Phineas and was about to reply to Everard when he was cut across.

"Oh, shut up Phineas, you Slytherin ponce." He heard spoken curtly by that instantly recognisable stern voice from behind him. "Oh, I don't like students, who cares about the student body? Oh, Harry Potter isn't anything special, he only destroyed the most powerful dark wizard in British magical history. It’s people like you Phineas that give Slytherin a bad name, not being truly evil but officious and callous." Continued McGonagall in her best Phineas impression walking around Harry to what was now her desk whilst ignoring the sounds of utter indignation and general amusement from the other former heads. To Harry, she looked less stressed than he had seen her years, and being headmistress suited her. "Harry, dear, would you like a drink before we head out to the Quidditch grounds, I can whip up some tea if you'd like?"

"No, thank you, Professor, I just finished some tea at Andromeda's house." Harry had the impression from her calming tones and her quite rigid body, that she was stalling for time before walking through the grounds, not sure whether Harry could do it. To be honest he wasn't sure now if he could do it either. She sat down at the desk and poured herself a very dark brown cup of tea. She pointed to the seat opposite her, the one that Harry had spent so much time in over the years talking to Dumbledore. It was here he learnt about Neville's parents, recounted Cedric's death. It was here that he learnt about the prophecy, in that very chair that he learnt that he had to kill Tom Riddle or face death himself. Harry felt the weight of years crash upon him as he touched the frame of the seat and he finally knew what Dumbledore had been talking about when he explained about the pensieve. He finally had a mind too full. McGonagall cursed, quietly, as she had chipped one her cups dropping the kettle on to its edge.

"Fair enough, Harry. So how are things at work?" She asked kindly, after sitting down, her hands wrapped around the mug as she stared into his eyes. They didn't have the same X-raying quality that Dumbledore’s had but they had warmth and depth and wisdom all the same.

"Not bad really, well I say not bad, it is great, though I am a bit battered from all our duelling practise. I particularly enjoy working on my transfigurations and charms and today I knocked out a truly excellent blood replenishing potion." Harry explained whilst McGonagall drank her tea. "I was more shocked than my tutor was."

"Ha, Horace will be pleased to hear that. I also heard that Kingsley took a crack at you a couple of weeks ago. He told me that you damn well nearly took the fingers off his right hand." She exclaimed, almost proudly, gulping down a large swig of tea from her mug. Harry found it odd that she drank from a mug.

"Yeah, well, kind of. I tried to cast expelliarmus but instead, I accidentally cast reducto. Luckily because I was only aiming in his general direction it only grazed his hand and hit a cushion behind it causing it to, what is the word, explode." Harry defensively explained. He had to wince at that one mostly because he still didn't know how he miscast the spells.

McGonagall mused about that for a while and then having finished her cup and causing it to disappear she stood up from behind her chair and walked back around the desk to Harry. Motioning towards the door she finally replied. "Well could have been worse then." It was a measured response of someone in great thought about the subject talked about. "Anyway, Mr Potter, if you would kindly follow me through the school to the stadium, we will meet your friends Mr's Longbottom and Weasley."

"I'd enjoy that Professor, after you then." He smiled, and she opened the door out, down the stairs, into the school.

He hadn't seen the school since he had last left, only two days after the battle, and the change wrought over the school was immeasurable. The damage had almost all been repaired, and the main staircase was resplendent with lots of different pieces of coloured scraps of fabric, Red and Gold, Yellow and Black, Blue and Bronze and finally Green and Sliver. These scraps represented the dead, but they gave the great hall an ethereal shimmer that made Harry feel oddly warm inside. The house hourglasses once again stood proudly and their levels were roughly equal, although Hufflepuff's was slightly more roughly equal than the rest. That should all change in the next few hours Harry thought. Just before being almost annihilated by Hermione who had run down the stairs behind him and bear-hugged him. All Harry managed to get out was a garbled yelp of surprise.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. I hope you are not trying to kill Mr Potter." McGonagall smiled kindly at the two friends a little distance away by the main door.

"Well, no Professor, if it's ok I'll take him down to the pitch," Hermione asked in a tone that didn't really leave anything to be discussed. McGonagall raised her eyebrow in her most formidable way at Hermione but got nothing back but steel. They both broke into a smile. Clearly, Harry thought, they do that sort of thing a lot.

"Of course, I will meet you in the stands. Good Afternoon." And with that, she swept off back up the stairs. Where to it was impossible to say as Harry and Hermione had already left the main doors and were slowly walking down the lawn. He had, in those short months, forgotten how stunning Hogwarts was. Hell, he was surprised how comfortable it felt to be back, like wearing clothes you've had for years on a rough day.

"Harry, I am not going to say I told you so. But I did bloody well tell you so didn't I." Hermione had stopped them by the edge of the lake. The mid-afternoon light was shining off the lake and caused Harry to be partially blind. He could still feel the concern irradiating from Hermione though and he felt oddly dirty like he had hit her or something. He had a profound thought at that moment, which was he suddenly understood why muggle Christians believed that suicide was the greatest betrayal of God. Such thoughts were ever on his mind these days.

"I know, I am sorry," Harry said somewhat sheepishly looking anywhere but her. He knew she had told him, he remembered that evening at the burrow too, and he disagreed. Really, he should have learnt by now never to disagree with Hermione but, you know, Harry was stubborn.

"Oh, bloody hell Harry. Don't apologise you silly sod. It's not your fault, we are just so worried about you, all of us. Ginny very nearly did a runner back to you when Andromeda owled us. I had to lock her in my bedroom all of that weekend before she calmed down." Hermione took his hand into hers and pulled him for a massive hug. The hug lasted for about a minute and was broken up when a small silvery Jack Russell appeared at their feet.

"Nev and I are here, going to the Quidditch grounds, meet us there." Ron's voice rolled out of the dog’s mouth.

Hermione properly squeaked in excitement and didn't even let go of Harry's hand as she turned on her heel and started sprinting towards the pitch, dragging him along after Ron. In next to no time they had arrived at the pitch which happened to be just as Ron and Neville did.

Just as she had done with Harry, she ran at Ron to give him a cuddle. Luckily for Harry, he extricated his hand from hers just before she saw Ron so that he wasn't pulled into the mass of limbs that was tangled on the floor. Hermione, in her excitement, had run at Ron so hard that even with his considerable muscle mass she had knocked him over whilst somehow managing to meet his lips with her own on the way down. luckily, they were the only ones about, lunch having not quite started. Harry and Neville, who had only seen each other about four hours previous, stood next to each other feverishly whispering above their two best friends who had not yet come up for air.

"Do you want to break them up?" Neville nodded at them, pretending to be uncomfortable at the sight.

"Merlin no. You?" Harry didn't fancy spoiling their fun. Partly because they deserved to enjoy being a couple and partly because he was terrified of Hermione at that moment.

"Both of us?" Neville murmured, and Harry nodded sharply. They both coughed very loudly which caused Ron and Hermione to jump in surprise, clearly remembering where they were. They looked at Harry and Neville with puppy dog eyes, clearly not wanting to accept that they had to behave. Not that it worked of course.

"You going to stand up? You are supposed to be head girl, talk about lax standards Hermione." Harry ribbed her. She glowered back rolling off Ron, who had the slightly glazed and dopey look of a man who was falling in love. Or refalling, or generally being near to his love.

After standing up and brushing themselves down all three trainee Aurors turned to look at the pitch and stands. Harry suddenly had a lump in his throat. They looked better than he remembered. The stands rising out of the grass to swamp them all, the house banners floating gently in the breeze, their colours gleaming in the November light. Looking across at Ron, he could have sworn he was crying. He couldn't blame him, it was truly beautiful being back here with Ron and Hermione. He felt his hand close, almost instinctively, around hers as she was holding onto Ron's and they turned around and looked at the castle. He was home and it felt amazing.

"They've done a good job of repairing this place, I walked through here with Gran after the battle and it was completely trashed and burnt," Neville said after a moment. 

"You have no idea, Neville." Hermione said, continuing onto explain how damaged the school actually had been to them as they stood there, shaking their heads and grimacing. By the time Hermione had finished Harry felt sick to his stomach. He knew that the situation had been bad, he had seen the damage himself and seen the dead himself. Even so, the thought of Hogwarts nearly being as ruined as the castle that Hermione had once told him that the muggles see was almost as traumatic as dying.

"You know, it's been a while since the three of us have watched a Quidditch match." Ron mused trying to lighten the mood again as they slowly made their way up the stairs of the nearest stand, Gryffindors. Harry was shocked, it had been a year at least. He really hadn't thought about it, but it was true. Over a year without the thrill of the game, watching as the chasers weave in between themselves, the bludgers and beaters, to score through the three tall hoops far above them as he Harry circled above even them searching for the golden snitch. Hopefully without swallowing it or being swamped by dementors.

Behind them, the burble of noise was increasing as the student body made its way down to the pitch. Harry's heart was lifted, and its pace quickened by the excited wave of students that crashed over them and carried the four eighteen and nineteen-year-olds higher into the stands.

They quickly found themselves sitting between Flitwick, who had given them a cheerful and enthusiastic greeting before sitting down and the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, who was a middle-aged man called Lewis Colbourn. He almost fell off the bench when he looked sideways at Harry.

"Merlin's beard. . ." He started before Harry finished his sentence for him.

"Yes, I’m Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you." Harry nearly deadpanned before catching himself and berating himself for being rude.

Once the initial shock wore off Colbourn was a quite an interesting fellow. Harry would have liked to have continued talking to him but just then he heard the student who had taken over from Lee Jordon had stood up at the magic microphones.

"Welcome students and teachers of Hogwarts to this, the 1998-1999 Hogwarts inter-house Quidditch cup season. Opening this year's matches is the Big One. The one we all wait forever year with rapturous anticipation. Gryffindor vs Slytherin." The student, a fourth year from Ravenclaw called Brendon announced to the stands to whoops and cheers of excitement.

"I give to you the Gryffindor team! Led by Miss Weasley, returning with an almost brand-new squad compared to the highly successful squad from two years ago, with the notable graduations of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Dean Thomas." As he had been talking Ginny shot out of the tunnel to the changing rooms like a rocket followed but the six other members of the team whose names, other than Demelza Robbins Ginny's second chaser, he did not know and because he was now staring so intently at Ginny he missed. He almost missed the entrance of the Slytherins as well. This team was seemed pretty young, made up of three third years, a fourth year, two fifth years and the captain who was a sixth year by the name of Luc Smith who was their seeker.

After two laps around the pitch, going in opposite directions, in which Ginny saw Harry and gave him a massive smile on the second lap; both teams landed at opposite ends of the pitch. Ginny and Luc walked to the middle along with Madame hooch and the chest of balls. There was the usual pre-match talk to the captains from her about fair play and cleanliness. They shook hands for the briefest possible moment. Clearly, the new-found spirit of inter-house 'friendly' ness that Hermione had been blathering on about for the last two months was left in the changing rooms. They walked back to their starting marks and waited for the whistle to blow.

In the end, after an hour and half of play, the match was probably a bit closer than Ginny thought it was going to be, 260 to 190, mostly because of the sheer skill of the Slytherin Keeper, Chloe Carter, who despite being a tiny third year girl seemed to be everywhere around the goal posts seemingly all at once. A couple of times she managed to only get the very tips of her fingers on the quaffle and yet it rolled off them and missed the posts. It was only the ability of Gryffindor chasers to work cohesively that she was beaten, with many of the points scored due to a last-second cross to a chaser on the other side of the pitch. In this way, 190 points had been scored in the first forty minutes.

At one-point Ginny almost lost her head because a bludger intended for Carter was mis-hit by her own beater, Liam Crick, went straight for her head. Though to be fair to Crick, as the commentator pointed out, Ginny had not been there a second before. Harry and the rest of Gryffindor had buried their face in their hands and didn’t see as the bludger missed Ginny because she had deftly barrel-roll out of the way from it. She also caught the quaffle sent by Franklin, the youngest member of the team who was a surprisingly burly third year, by the barest of inches middle roll.

Soon the game turned somewhat nasty, with things becoming brutal about the hour mark. Due to Slytherin being unable to maintain any possession of the quaffle, they had turned to trying to cause bodily harm to Franklin and the hazing of the seeker. Ignoring Ginny and Demelza the Slytherin beaters were hitting the bludgers straight at Franklin because he was, in their view, the weakest link. This had the unfortunate and rather catastrophic effect of pissing off Ginny, who swapped her team over to move Franklin in with her and Demelza on the far side of the pitch and instantly they were granted a penalty because one of the opposite beaters took matters into his own hands and flew into what he thought was Franklin.  What he actually hit though was a thoroughly livid Demelza, who was granted a penalty. Of course, she scored it, which brought the score to 200 to 0. In celebration Ginny flew straight over the stand Harry was in whilst, unbelievably, doing a handstand on the broom. Harry was full of awe and love and the distinct feeling that if she was to land right then, right that second that he wouldn't be able to speak to her for pounding of his heart in his throat. Is this what she felt in that first meeting all those years ago? 

The beater was sent off and Luc called a time-out before his side restarted play. Harry could imagine what was being said by him because the team that Ginny was facing was suddenly completely different. They were calmer and tighter, had a planned play in the cards and now it was being drawn. Harry watched as the beaters moved closer to the Gryffindor keeper, David Finley and the seeker pull into a higher orbit around the pitch, scanning.

"That sneaky bastard." He violently exclaimed. Not that anyone bar Ron heard because of the general noise coming from the spectators. "Luc is ending this on his terms," Harry whispered to Ron when he asked what was wrong. Ron's face did a very odd move. Trying to look annoyed, in awe and quizzical all at once. Harry had to carry on with his explanation quickly before he laughed out. "He is going to target Finley with the beaters to remove the goalie and look at Heberon." Harry pointed to the enemy seeker. "He is really searching now. Ginny hasn't noticed this, she's about to get pummelled." Harry tried not to sound concerned, he knew her team was good enough to play a competitive game without a goalkeeper but there were only two hundred points in it. Slytherin needed 50 points from goals and to catch the snitch and they would draw.

"Nah she won't, she'll score a few more before anyone catches the snitch. And don't count out Pirbright, I talk to Ginny too and she says he's pretty decent, though He is not you, she said. But then I don't remember you being that good. So maybe we are fucked." Ron replied sardonically. Harry was sorely tempted to punch Ron right in the face for that jibe but was distracted as the whistle blew on another Gryffindor goal was scored after a bludger from the other Gryffindor beater caused Luc to drop the Quaffle straight into Franklin's hands.

The last twenty minutes of play panned out exactly as Harry had explained to Ron. Finley took a bludger to head in the fourth play, in which time Gryffindor’s three chasers had taken a goal each making the score 250 to 0, after the timeout leading him to be removed from the pitch. This opened the way for the Slytherins to crawl back some of the points. The score was 250 to 40.

The final act started with Hermione screaming "look at Pirbright!" Harry who was busy watching Ginny controlling the rest of her team to set up a new playing phase. He whipped his head around to look at where Hermione was pointing and saw Pirbright was in a near vertical downwards spiral about hundred metres off the ground. He was going for the snitch, Harry could see it spiralling down as well. Pirbright's fingers were centimetres off the snitch when Heberon did one of the most amazing pieces of flying Harry had ever seen. He flew at right angles to Pirbright and snatched the snitch from right underneath him by flying upside down and then flew a split S over the top of him. Pirbright knew what had happened and rolled right and pushed his broom into his spiral levelling out as the whistle blew. The roar from all sides of the pitch was truly deafening. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were all cheering for the fact the final score was 260 to 190 and the Slytherins were chanting the name of their seeker as loud as they possibly could.

Harry saw Ginny land in amongst the rest of her team who walked off the pitch together following the Slytherins who looked awfully dejected for nearly a team who nearly had an incredible come back.

As the student body left the stands Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder and told him he would meet him at home. Ron stood and along with Hermione and Neville, he walked to the edge of the castle grounds and disapparated.

Harry didn't see this as sat waiting for the crowds to disperse, shaking hands with most of the staff, before he walked out on to the pitch, he sat down on the grass in the middle circle. It was here that his life did, in the words of the song he once heard, get flipped upside down, where he and Cedric got taken to that Graveyard. And it was barely fifty metres away from where he nearly swallowed the snitch that, eventually, allowed him to ease his passing from this world. Not that it happened of course, but as he had said to Tom he was prepared to die, and he realised that now he had faced his death in adulthood the thought didn't worry him. Harry added to himself, as Ginny walked out of the changing rooms looking staggeringly attractive, that despite how tempting it was to die, he couldn’t leave her. It would break her and he could not have another broken person on his hands.

"Why Mister Potter, is it wise for you to be sat out here alone? Anyone could sneak up on you." Ginny whispered seductively in his ear as she knelt behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest kissing the back of his neck. This made him growl with pleasure as he melted into her arms.

"Maybe, but there is only one person I want to see right now, and you’re here on this pitch."

"Ha, it's only been two months you soppy bastard." Her fingers ran through his hair and he closed his eyes. "Though, it would be a complete lie to say the feeling isn't at all mutual." Her soft tones, warm body and familiar smell made Harry so content, so peaceful that he very nearly fell asleep on the pitch right there and then. That is until she asked him what thought of the match at which point, he sat up, turned around and put his face about an inch from hers, stealing a kiss.

"Well," Harry chewed on his sentence for a moment. "Your flying and coordination of the Chasers was exemplary, but you completely missed Luc's attack on Finley. He couldn't have been telegraphing it more obviously either." He said.

"Yup, I did miss the ball on that one. But Dave is alright, and we still won because of, what did you say, my exemplary coordination of my chasers. Thank you, baby, for being honest. You will just have to teach me, oh wise one." She smiled, massive grin before closing the gap and kissing him. It wasn't as needy as the one that Hermione gave Ron, but the desire burned through more as she laced her fingers through his hair gently tugging, longing not let go. When they came up for air Harry turned to her and asked her if she would lie here with him for just a moment and forget the world. She naturally said yes and snuggled up to him snoozing.


	8. Saturday: Not All Days are Cloudy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Ginny are enjoying each others company, both carnally and platonically. Harry sets upon a great idea to go out for the evening, leaving Ron and Hermione free reign of the flat.

The morning after the match, Harry woke up with a start after he heard Hermione and Ginny shouting at the same time. They had clearly both gotten out of bed at the same time and gone either to the toilet or to the kitchen to get a drink. This means the shouting could be about a whole number of things. When they got home last night Harry hadn’t apparated into the corner in the living room, He had landed them cleanly in his bedroom, both of them being exhausted. So this would be the first time that Ginny would have seen the flat in person. Harry knew he should move to find out what was going on, but he was too comfortable; for he had actually slept that night and he was enjoying smelling Ginny in his bed. 

“Boys!” He heard again. This time the tone left no room for argument, so he rolled out of bed and opened his bedroom door sticking his head around it as to keep his naked body behind it. Ron did the same thing moments later. Harry and Ron looked at each other and laughed.

“Yes?” Harry braved a response, though Harry could see that Hermione was more amused than annoyed.

 “What the fuck is with the traffic cones?” Hermione asked, quietly pissing herself laughing, pointed to a big orange cone that was taking up most of the corridor by the kitchen door. Ginny was stood by its twin that was next to the bathroom door, visibly more perplexed by the existence of the cones than Hermione was. She must have walked into the bathroom without noticing it, in her early morning fugue state, and then when she was a bit more awake and had seen Hermione walking into the kitchen, she must have tripped, metaphorically Harry hoped, over the cone which was the point that Hermione saw the other cone by the kitchen door.

“If you can tell us that it would be great!” Ron said quite deadpan and Harry laughed heartily. They seriously didn’t know, but they came to an agreement that it must be Harry transfiguring things into cones when very drunk. But it wasn’t cut and dry, as they hadn’t been drunk since the night that the second one appeared out of nowhere, so couldn’t test it.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, her hand fiddling with the kitchen door handle, as Ron ducked back into his room, clearly to put some pants on. Ginny was poking the hole at the top of the cone, deforming the plastic out of fascination. It was like watching a three-year-old with a coke bottle.

“Well you see, Ron has no idea what a traffic cone looks like other than these two, despite walking around central London most days. So out of the two of us, I must be the one picking them up from roadworks, summoning them or transfiguring them.” Harry explained to Hermione. Ron reappeared from his bedroom nodding in agreement.  He was wearing a new Chudley Cannons T-Shirt that Harry had bought for him for his birthday and boxers, which was amusing because Hermione was wearing his old CC shirt and a different pair of his boxers. 

“But then neither of us has any memory of how the cones appeared. We just both remember waking up the morning after and falling over one cone and then suddenly the next time we were blinding drunk two cones. Mhmm, I am hungry.” Ron finished opening the kitchen door ushering Hermione though it.

“When are you not Ron?” Harry heard through the door. Hermione was about to say something else when the words clearly died in her throat and she saw the mess that was kitchen/living room, followed by Ron’s voice asking what she wanted to for breakfast, followed by a faint ‘why have you got ninety-nine bottles on this wall?!’ and ‘that’s a funny story you know’ and a final ‘HOW MUCH?’. 

“Ginny, you ok there?” Harry asked ignoring the conversation just the other side of the door whilst raising his eyebrows as she was still playing with the cone, quite gleefully. When she ignored his question he boldly stepped out of his bedroom, still completely naked, and walked up behind her picking her up and pushing her against his open bedroom door running his fingers down her sides just under her arms and kissing the back of her neck and shoulders, sorely tempted rip the Holyhead harpies T-shirt she was wearing off her. He refrained because she liked that T-Shirt, it made her tits look fucking glorious. She turned around in his arms whilst she flicked her eyes from his face to his feet and back again with a languid pause on his dick. She winced a bit when she saw the bruises but quickly forgot as Harry traced his fingers under her breasts.

“Ooooh, yes, yes I am. You are amazing. Now quickly back in our room before they get bored.” Ginny giggled lustily and threw her arms around his neck, gently tugging on his hair causing Harry to growl at her.

“Oh, our room is it?! I thought it was my room you are just borrowing a side of the bed for a night or two!” teased Harry, whilst gently walking them backwards, Ginny standing on the tops of his feet, towards the bed.

“If that’s the case, Harry, then you don’t get any of this,” She let go of him and stood on the bed twisting around showing off her body at him, lifting her top so that her tits where so close to dropping out of it. She dropped onto the bed and dove under the duvet, sticking her tongue out at him. He pushed the door shut with his foot and climbed on top of her, his arms either side of hers pinning her in place under the duvet and Harry laughed in his head at her pathetic attempts to fake squirming out of it, all she was really doing was grinding her tits and crotch into him through the duvet.

“What about right now then?” he rumbled in his throat right next to her ear in a way that he knew she knew she couldn’t resist.  He felt as she tried to say no but the fact that he was naked, sporting his most sexy bed hair, and near growling at her meant that was only one answer really.

“Oh, I hate you, Mr Potter.” She insisted, whilst grabbing hold of his face and kissing him deeply, pushing him sideways onto his back while he was distracted, pulling her top off and letting her breasts finally tumble into his face.

“I know.” Harry murmured grinned mischievously. Oh, he knew, and he loved it. His lips closed around her hard nipple and his tongue darted across it causing her to shiver and melt.

Their day whizzed past in a blur of limbs, giggling and heavy breathing and according to the inappropriate noises from down the hall, they weren’t the only ones. Harry felt more alive than ever, being near Ginny had revitalised his being and he had fallen in love again. He voiced this out loud after their second, third if you count a shower blowjob, round of sex that day.

“Ginny,” Harry rolled onto his side and gazed at the side of her head as she was face down in her pillow. “Have I told you, lately, that I love you?” He was light-hearted and care-free. It was very strange, but he wasn’t questioning it.

“Umm, let me see, I think you’ve mentioned it in the last few hours, yes.” She rolled over smiling at her sarcasm and promptly stopped when she saw the look on his face. She pulled him closer and placed a hand on his face.  “What is wrong Harry?” He closed his eyes and pulled her closer still.

“Honestly, today, there is nothing wrong with me. Just I forgot several things over the last month or so.” He opened his eyes. “Your beauty and your strength. Your smile. Your unwillingness to give up. It’s intoxicating, and I love it. I love you.” He broke his exclamations up with kisses on Ginny’s forehead and giggled.

“That was the most ridiculous laugh I have _ever_ heard,” Ginny smirked mid kiss. Harry stopped kissing her immediately. “Hey! Why you stop,” whined Ginny, who found it very unfair that he should stop being so romantic. “OH HEY, STOP THAT, STOP NOOO!” It was her turn to giggle and snort as he, knowing her weak spot, had started tickling her as retribution. “Not cool Harry Potter if I had my wand, I’d curse you till next week.” Harry smiled at this but didn’t let up tickling her until she was completely out of breath.

“That’s a ridiculous laugh, Miss Weasley.” Harry laughed this time his normal laugh.

“It’s a long weekend Mister Potter. I will have my revenge.” Ginny half threatened. Though really Harry couldn’t take her seriously when she was naked. She was just too distractingly attractive.

“Hey, there is a nice-looking restaurant around the corner, which I’d like to try with you whilst you are here. Muggle of course, but you know considering I’ve hidden your wand I think you make a very lovely muggle.” Ginny smiled, and Harry thought he’d got away with it. But it then mutated into a very dangerous smile as she pushed him off and started frantically looking for her wand.  What she didn’t know is what Harry had done was to put his invisibility cloak over the top of it in the drawer she’d put it in the night before.  It was funny really because if she’d actually put her hand in the drawer rather than just looked, she’d have realised much sooner.

“Harry Potter give me back my wand. Now!” She squealed when she turned and found he wasn’t there. Harry had, whilst she was scrambling around, slyly put on his trousers and top and had backed away down the corridor and into the kitchen, trying to not hear the noises of sexual gratification going on in Ron’s room.

When he did, finally, give her back her wand they went out for their meal at the tiny little Italian restaurant just around the corner from the flat. They did dress up as Harry pointed out whilst they were showering, this was their first ‘date’ since the end of the war, might even have been their first ‘date’ ever. They had just fallen back together like a jigsaw, their rough edges gelling smoothly.

Ginny wore a very pretty knee length, halter (at least that what Harry thought it was) necked dress that reminded him of a photo he had once seen of the 1950’s. Harry had actually managed to round up a very respectable looking suit and they left the flat linked arm-through-arm, leaving Ron and Herimone fucking like bunnies.

The walk to the restaurant was pleasant enough, though there was a wind blowing so Harry had to sacrifice his suit jacket for to her. Harry held her hand and was talking about his potion, stopping every few feet to look through shop windows pointing out pretty clothes and funny objects. Ginny stopped for two minutes looking at a quite spectacular wedding dress, her face pushed up against the window glass, oohing slightly at the lace and corseting of the dresses in the shop. Harry laughed, holding her around the waist, pulling her close.

“Are you trying to tell me something, Miss Weasley?” He whispered in her ear. She laughed now and pulled out of his arms, and started to walk away from him, swaying her hips intentionally. Harry sprinted to keep up with her, slipping her hand into his own, walking in quiet comfort until they got to the place. “Wait a minute,” He said, suddenly stopping her just before they entered the restaurant, its faint light making her glow, “Were you one of those girls that dreamed about their wedding with her prince charming, IE me?” He asked, looking into her eyes trying to bore into her mind and find the truth. She stared right back at him, her cheeky smile plastered all over her face.

“If you wanna to believe that, Harry, you may. But if I ever hear you say it again, I will curse you to next week.” She replied, putting her hand on his face. Harry nodded and stepped into the candle-lit room. A waiter escorted them to their table, a small reclusive table in the corner but Harry couldn’t help smiling, he had seen the image of her doodles of herself in a wedding dress and the initials GPxHP in a heart, that he knew could only be from her memory. He took his jacket back from her and gave it to the waiter before they ordered some wine, trying to blend in. The waiter came back quickly and poured their glasses, Harry looked over his menu at Ginny and a cleared his throat.

“So, Ginny, what do you do?” Harry asked, feigning what he thought a first date conversation would go. Ginny glanced up at him, assuming for a moment that he was asking the waiter and was about to roll her eyes but when she realised he was talking to her she kind of melted. She lowered her own menu and looked at him.

“Well, would you believe that I’m a student?” She said, picking up her glass and having a sip. Harry felt as if she was stripping him with her eyes. Harry was glad for the low light levels in the place, as she had slipped off her shoe and was rubbing her foot against the inside of his leg.

“Oh, really? And what do you study?” Harry asked, his mind no longer on food but on this game they were now playing. This slow waltz with one inevitable conclusion, a good and hard fuck.

“Little of this and a little of that, comes from being in the final year of school.”

“Ah, so you will be taking your exams this year?” Harry was interrupted by the waiter asking if they were ready to order, causing Ginny’s foot to come off his leg. They quickly ordered, though what they ordered they werent sure, italian not being spoken by either of them. Ginny said something about being pot luck and she was sure it was going to be tasty whatever happened. Harry had a distinct dislike of the way the waiter’s eyes lingered a little too long on Ginny as he walked away, but he guessed he should get used it, she was stunning and he was sure that she was fed up with people staring at him in the wizarding world.

“Yeah I’m taking my exams, scary stuff right?” She returned to their tease as they had time to burn, whilst their food was hopefully not burning.

“I wouldn’t know, I dropped out of my final year. I imagine you are, what’s the phrase? Shitting bricks?” He said, drinking his own wine.   It was a funny taste, the alcohol was present through the rest of the taste.

“Look out, we have a badass over here. My father warned me about boys like you!” She said, over dramatically. Harry looked fake offended and held his heart just as dramatically.

“Boy’s like me? What’s that supposed to mean? I’m sure your father would love me.”

“Oh, you know, school dropouts, roguishly handsome types, they are always no good.” She said, twisting her hair in her fingers, flirting heavily with him, which Harry found endearingly sexy.  

“I’ll have you know I’m a perfectly respectable member of society, I am training to be a policeman. Nor am I roguishly handsome.” Harry said, somewhat disbelievingly, stroking his now extremely apparent beard. Ginny smirked and when the pretty waitress came over with their food, a penne arrabiata for Harry and an octpus pasta meal for herself,  she stopped her a moment.

“Excuse me, a second miss, but can I ask your opinion on something?” Ginny asked the girl, who was about the same age as themselves, she nodded. “Well, you see my date sat there?” She nodded at Harry, who sat there stiring his food with his fork, he was famished and it looked amazing.

“Yes?” The girl asked, a hint of an italian accent coming through. She looked at him, his white shirt and black tie sat over his toned body, his jet black hair and his scraggy beard, and finally his scar as it was lit by the flickering candle in the middle of the table.

“I was just wondering if you would class him as roguishly handsome,” Ginny asked her, licking her lips, not just over her food.

“Mio Dio, si,” she said, nodding vigoursly, “You’re a lucky girl.” She flashed a smile a them both and walked away, Ginny barely suppressing a smile as she started to dig into her food.

“See Harry, roguishly handsome.”She said, quite satisfied with himself. Harry wasn’t convinced. They ate their food in relative quiet, talking in glances, though Harry did offer some of his food to her and held his fork up with a sauce covered penne. She put the fork in her mouth slowly leading with her tongue, sucking the penne onto her mouth. “Umm, so good, I can’t wait till I get something else in my mouth though.” She said, winking suggestively.

“Oh really, but I thought I was a no-good bad boy,” Harry said, running his hand through his hair just as he had seen his father do. It felt weirdly satisfing and he felt the closest to his father that he had ever done so, understanding the arrogance and swagger of the boy that never really got to be a man. His face must have changed because Ginny looked at him with concern.

“Hey, dear, whats wrong?” she grabbed his hand across the table, the grip was impressive. It was making his scars pop white against the orange light.

“Oh, Nothing I was just reflecting on my parents is all. Its ok.” He stabbed his very last penne and was aware that she was still staring. “How was your octopus?” Harry asked her, changing the subject.

“Don’t change the subject, Harry. What were you thinking about, you were wearing that universe is unfair to look.”

“That’s a look I have?”

“Yes, dear, I look at you enough to know what expressions you have.” She said, her tone suggesting that he was a dense idiot sometimes.

“Ok, Ok, I had a moment of understanding about my Dad is all. You were flirting with me and I felt super powerful and needed and then I ran my hand through my hair and I got it, I got the allure of being _that_ guy.” He said mimicking the action again. She couldn’t help snigger. “What?” Harry asked.

“You look incredibly fuckable when you do that. But you aren’t _that_ guy, as much as your dad and Sirius were, nor does it really suit you. And my food was excellent, thank you.” She grabbed his hand again as the waitress took away the plates.

“That’s ok, I’ve been wanting to eat here for a while and I’ve wanted a proper date with you so it made sense really, plus I’ve really enjoyed myself.” Harry said, waiting for the waitress to come back. When she came back Harry paid for the meal, Ginny making a short quip about having a different sort of desert, grabbing his chest muscles as she stood behind him causing him to yelp. The waitress gave a naughty nod and they left the place.

Not far from the flat Ginny shoved Harry sideways into a dark backstreet, pushing him up against the wall, kissing him hard and deep. He gasped as he felt her unzip his trousers and pull his dick into the open. It had been so hard all evening, and it felt good to be out, but damn she was being risky. She was kissing down his neck, not making a sound just kissing, whilst pumping his dick hard but slowly, with her hand.

“Fuck, Harry we should go out more often if your dick is going to be this fucking hard. Though I can’t talk I’m so fucking horny right now, I’m about to suck your amazing cock in public.” She dropped to her knees lifting her skirt around her arse so that she didn’t tear it. She spat on her hand and twisted it up and down, licking the end of it as his foreskin moved over it. He closed his eyes, trying not to moan, biting his lip. She moved her mouth deeper around his dick moaning around it as he grabbed her hair pulling on it, making her take more of him into her mouth, twisting her tongue up and down the his length. She bobbed up and down getting deeper around feeling him tense up, tasting his pre-cum. She stopped as suddenly as she started. “Ummm, merlin, you taste great. Get us home.”  Harry groaned in how unfair it was and grabbing her by her tight arse, through her soaking panties, pulling her close so his dick was stuck between her thighs he twisted them on the spot and they landed in his room. Ginny pushed him on his back his dick standing straight up, his eyes watching as Ginny unzipped her dress, lifted the straps over her head, pulling it down revealing the fact she was wearing an extremely sexy bra and as she lowered her dress revealed the matching panties, that as he felt in the alley were stuck to her because of fucking wet she is. She didn’t bother even trying to take them off neatly just ripping them apart and after kneeling either side of his legs slammed herself onto his dick, her pussy so wet that it barely touched the sides, but Harry didn’t care he need to fuck her so bad. He actually growled at her and lifted his knees up so she was balancing on him and he started to thrust deeply into her causing her to let out little moans every thrust. He was fucking her that hard that her tits bounced out of her bra.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck Harry. Don’t stop, fucking fill me.” She moaned into his ear as he slammed her over and over again. Desperate for skin contact she ripped open his shirt sending buttons scattering all over the place. This beast in Harry rose up at that and he pushed her onto her back and lifted her legs over his shoulders, getting so deep that he could feel her cervix. He held her hands above her head pinning them to the bed, fucking her so hard that it wasn’t long before she was cumming around his dick. He could feel her pulsing around him but he kept going, hard making her cum again and again, her face getting more and more blank as she flooded around him. As her eyes rolled back into her head, he finally came himself. Rolling to one side, breathing heavy, both caked in sweat and cum, Harry looked at down at his torso because it was stinging slightly. Ginny in her explosive orgasm had scratched his chest deeply, he hadn’t even noticed but there they were, five parallel red lines running down his front, blood threating to leak out from the bottom end where she had dug in deepest. Ignoring it he looked over at her and saw that she was still pretty much passed out. He rolled over on his side and cuddled her.

“Oh fuck, Ginny. I’m sorry I don’t know _quite_ what came over me. You ripped my shirt off and I just needed to take you. it felt like a tiger had taken over me.” 

“OOH WOW.” Was all that she managed to get out. She moved her head and looked at him, her eyes unfocused but clearly content.

“You ok?” Harry asked worried he had hurt her. He really hadn’t meant too.

“Yeah, yeah I am fine babe. We should probably go and shower.” She said, rather unconvinced she wanted to move. “Honestly, I’m fine. That was a fantastic fuck, I should go away more if that is what you pull out.” She said, her eyes refocusing on Harry’s still worried face.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Harry said, looking sad despite himself.

“Aww, darling, you didn’t. I want more like that. Fuck.” She shuddered in pleasure and pulled Harry in tighter. They laid like that for five minutes before Harry stood up from the bed, stripping out of his sweaty trousers, standing in his boxers he threw a t-shirt at her and a pair of pyjama bottoms that were six inches too long.

“How about now? Do I look roguishly handsome?” Harry said standing on the bed his arms teapotting, his hair plastered all down his face from the sweat and his eyes glazed with post-orgasmic bliss.

“Always.” Ginny said her eyes looking black in the half-light in the room, causing Harry’s head to snap round from the heroic pose he had been doing. “You are doing it again, darling.” She said whilst pulling on the top.

“Sorry, I just never expected someone to say that too me, about me,” Harry said, stepping off the bed and taking Ginny’s hand going to the shower. There was a lot of giggling coming from the shower as they were scrubbing each other and talking about what they were going to do with their evening. Harry suggested cuddling listening to the radio. Ginny thought that was a lovely idea.

All was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a couple of things, I felt this was a very unexplicit explicit story, it's mostly here so that I have the freedom to swear if I want to, as IRL i swear a fucking bucket. But the storm is rumbling in and I thought that this chapter was originally way too short for the amount of pain that is coming (*gasp* spoilers). So enjoy your fluff and your porn and strap the fuck in.


	9. Sunday: Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend is over and the girls have to return to Hogwarts

Their Sunday, as can be imagined, passed very quickly, with the girls sat on the sofa in the living room directing Harry and Ron on the best way to tidy up. It went pretty well, there were some arguments over the continued existence of the bottles and some more arguing over the cones, both of which Harry and Ron lost, and even more arguing broke out when Hermione accused Harry at cheating at exploding snap. But it was all good natured and everyone was happy and contented despite the looming cloud over their heads. Ron cooked amazing roast dinner for them all and they ate and were merry. Even Harry could, for the short while, forget his problems. But he could sense the storm coming in.   
Soon it was time for Ginny and Hermione to go back to Hogwarts. The four of them had apparated to Hogsmeade and they had a quiet, subdued, drink in the Three Broomsticks, in which Harry managed to destroy a glass by dropping it when he accidentally tripped on an uneven flag stone. He couldn’t quite believe it and stood there a bit dumbstruck until Ginny repaired the glass and lead him to his seat.   
After that Ginny, Harry, Hermione and Ron headed up to the school grounds. It was quiet, cold and dark. The lane up to the school gates was deserted and it made Harry nervy, something about the quiet was unnatural and he could have sworn he had heard the express’s whistle. Ginny and himself stared at each other for about a minute, the cold air swirling around them, refusing to admit that they had to go their separate ways again. Ginny eventually broke the silence.   
“Harry, babe. I didn’t want to say this during the weekend, but you had better tell me this time when you are feeling depressed. It wasn’t fair that I had to hear it from Andromeda when I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, your partner.” Ginny had taken her hands out of her pockets and put them on his face to say goodbye. It didn’t seem as hard for her to say goodbye this time. Harry felt like he could die. She was currently trying to remind Harry that he wasn't alone, but all he felt was alone, like a glass balanced precariously on a shelf waiting to fall, needing a gust of wind. “Yes, I know what you are going to say, oh I’m sorry Ginny I just didn't want to worry you unduly. Well, you know what I say to that. Fuck you, fuck you and the flying car you rode in on. I knew what I was signing up to when we got back together, and I love you Harry, so you better tell me how you are feeling in the future.” Harry had the sense of numbness creep over his body again; just like in September. His world was spinning. She is always right about me, he thought. He couldn't breathe, he felt so guilty. He didn’t tell her how bad he was because he didn’t want her to worry. He hadn’t thought about the hurt it must have caused her to hear second hand, he just didn’t want her to see him as broken. She looked so lovely. Everything behind her was vanishing from view and it was just them. “You are not going to get better overnight Harry, and I am here always. For the long game.” She kissed him softly on the mouth and the world popped back into view just for a moment. “I will see you at Christmas, my sexy man.” And she turned to walk away. Harry regained feeling just long enough to grab her wrist to stop her before she pulled away too far.   
“I love you too. You are, quite literally, my better half. But don't you mean I will see you later?” Harry smiled, faintly. Ginny beamed before skipping off into the castle with Hermione trailing alongside. The gates closed behind them and that was that.   
Harry started to feel numb again and started to turn on the spot to apparate home but did not move, despite watching Ron disappear from view next to him. He wobbled slightly and tried again. This made him fall over into the mud. Confused he picked himself up, he had never had problems apparating since his initial struggles learning it. He found himself starting to walk down the lane towards Hogsmeade and help. As he got further down the path it began to fade, not to black, but to an oddly ethereal white. Harry kept trudging down the lane, he knew what he needed was at the end of it.  
“I am not worried, Harry…" Harry yelped. That had to be his imagination. The speaker had been dead for over a year, not long after they had walked down this road.   
“Of course, it's happening in your head, but why does that make it any less real?” Harry couldn't answer then and couldn't answer now either, but merlin he missed Dumbledore. He might have designed his whole life so that he died ‘at the proper moment’, that didn’t stop Dumbledore being the wisest man Harry, or anyone, having ever known.   
The ethereal white was solidifying grotesquely into something much more real than it should have been. Harry felt strangely at peace in this world like he couldn't imagine going back. He looked around but couldn't see anyone, but he could swear that he could hear more and more people talking to him.   
“When he is older people will tell him why his parents died.”  
“I will, Remus, I will.” Harry said in his head to no-one.   
He could have sworn he heard Charlie sobbing around the table.   
“The boy . . . Is he dead?”  
“We are worried about you. Last time…” He looked behind him, he had watched Hermione walk the other direction.   
“I love you, Harry Potter, I am here for the long game.” Fuck, he loved her too, how was he so lucky.   
“I quite lost my head.” Harry knew now what Dumbledore had meant, he felt so horrible, and it was horrible of the world to cause that much grief to someone. No one should be betrayed like that. No one should be stung by love that hard they never try again.   
“You look like your father, but you have your mother’s eyes.” The old refrain, but the mirror had shown him that. That ancient artefact that had so successfully stopped Voldemort regaining his powers cheaply.   
“I can touch you now!” Voldemort’s voice rattled like a snake all around his head covering all the other voices. Thank Merlin for that. The searing agony flared in his scar. He ignored it. He kept walking.  
“Whilst the other survives.” The voices were starting to echo and intertwine. Harry persisted in stumbling forward through the white mist because he had to get away from those voices. They were overwhelming. He couldn’t make out most of them as they sounded like they were very distant.   
“What Cornelius doesn't know can't hurt him.” He almost screamed in fright at the cough and that giggle. That woman evil to the bone.   
“Get away from my godson.” Sirius saving him in the department of mysteries by decking Lucius. Merlin, he missed Sirius too.   
“You have the emotional range of a teaspoon.”  
“Look...at...me...”   
“Gryffindor!” The sorting hat, how could Harry ever have doubted it?   
“In the form of my . . . and infinitely wiser brother.” Dumbledore, why didn’t you tell Aberforth everything, why did you leave things so open.   
“You are going out again.” Neville standing up for himself.   
“Ah, Mr Potter...”   
“Neither can live…” And both had died, at least once.   
“Harry is talking to it”. That damned snake cost Harry months of his life.   
“Of course, it’s happening in your head.”  
“Of course, I am a squib.” Miss Figg, his secret guardian.  
“We could have died.”   
"It's for some stupid noble reason isn't it?" It was, and Harry had instantly regretted it, he still regretted it.   
“You told a Joke!” Fred. Harry’s hand flared and he tripped on what looked like a forgotten suitcase.   
“Severus . . . please . . .”  
“Horrible things have happened to wizards who have meddled with time.” Thanks, Hermione. They had had no time that night and yet they made it, he could make it now.   
“Your father's parents took me in.” Sirius's escape from the world of his own parents.   
Harry still couldn't see anyone, but the voices were getting louder, and he felt suffocated despite being alone in an open area, the white expanse coalescing into a building.   
“Help will always be given at Hogwarts by those who deserve it.” Neville deserved it, he got his revenge and the prophecy was, in a way, fulfilled.   
“My sister, my sister”. She had looked so peaceful and serene in her portrait. Harry hoped that she came to ease his passing.  
“Avada Kedavra.” Voldemort was laid on top of Voldemort. A thousand Toms trying to kill a thousand Harrys. Dying wasn't so bad, hurt much less than life, he should know, he had died. The living bled, and they ached, and they cried. Harry was bleeding now all over himself, He didn’t know where from as he couldn’t see any cut. It had to be there, blood was dripping all over the white platform that had solidified around him, but there was no pain.   
“Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him.” Kingsley, or was its Remus?   
“Harry, please. You're talking to the man who raised Fred and George.” Arthur, the man who out of anyone was his father.   
“Take my body back.”   
“…Our new celebrity.” Oh, Snape what did I do to you?  
“Let’s stay here.” They had no choice, there was never a choice.  
“I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.” Maybe, where ever they were, Sirius and Regulus had forgiven each other for their misdeeds.   
“Your father was a swine.”   
“So were you. Let’s face Snape, you were a total bastard.” Harry responded to the Snape swirling around his head.   
“Happening in your head”.   
“We thought you had a plan.” Damn it, Ron.   
“I am Lord Voldemort”. Tom's sixteen-year-old face appeared in the white light, an adult Ginny was at his feet dying.  
“ ‘in ‘in.” Teddy. His face so cheerful, He needed to hold him once again.   
“Just stay away from her.” Like that worked, Ron.   
Harry staggered across the end of the platforms and he walked into a bin that had just appeared; into which he promptly threw up into and slumped onto the floor.   
“Dobby help Harry Potter.” He thought he sensed a small but powerful hand pull him to sitting upright from the ground. But there was nothing, no hands and no help. He closed his eyes, they hurt. Suddenly everything hurt.   
“Harry…yer a wizard.”  
“DON'T… CALL ME A COWARD!” a voice boomed out.   
“I am sorry. You may of been a bastard, but you were never a coward.” Harry murmured to the void as if voicing something dirty.   
“It’s not much but its home.” Harry loved it there, with his family. His family.   
“He can't be back.” Harry still could not believe how dense Fudge was.   
“Ah, I was rather counting on Miss Granger to slow you down.”   
“You killed my cat”.   
“Special services to the school.”  
“Tom Marvolo Riddle.”   
“You will not need ink.”  
“I can touch you!” His scar burned, blinding him, and a train whistle screamed in the background. He couldn't hear himself think anymore due to the voices. He gave in. He rolled over on the ground where he started to cry harder than he had done in weeks, months, years and decades even. Harry just wanted to lay there on the cold platform listening to the steam hiss from the bright red train forever. He felt blood pooling around him.   
“Apparently the message hasn't quite sunk in yet.”  
Suddenly over everyone else he heard his mother; her voice was so calm and soothing. He opened his eyes. She was two inches in front of his face, her red hair covering her face.   
“Sweetheart, you've been so brave. Not much longer.” Her hand was on his side stemming the bleeding. But it wasn’t his mother. It was Ginny.  
Suddenly, all the sound ceased. Ginny left, and He looked up from the floor and saw a door. This door said it was a muggle ticket office for Kings’ Cross station. But he had a feeling he had seen it before and he knew he needed to walk through it. It was at the end of a corridor that had black tiling.   
It felt like an hour before Harry could stand. He staggered towards the door, his shirt covered in his blood and he felt, rather than saw, his hand stretch out and knock on the door at the end of the corridor. He had had to step over a ghostly version of Arthur, his blood mingled with Harry’s.   
From some distant point, Harry heard a glass break on a stone floor as the special door opened and a tall man with bright blue eyes, long flowing white beard and glasses stepped out.  
“…I am with you.”   
And Harry Potter collapsed once more at the bottom of the door, his energy spent, his mind shattered like that glass on the shelf had fallen and saw no more.


	10. Fighting for Life

The man, who had returned to an awoken state as the pain all over his body bled through into his thoughts, didn't know how long he had been unconscious for. But he knew it had been a while. Every joint he had ached, and he had problems opening his eyes as every time he tried, they were in agony, but he stuck at it, looking around the dark room glancing at the dying fire. Everything was blurry, but he couldn’t work out why, nor could he tell what he was lying on or even if there was someone else in the room. He wasn’t even entirely sure of his own name, but nevertheless, he tried to roll over on his side but as he did so there was a burning pain all down his right-hand side causing him to scream in pain. He closed his eyes again and lifted his right arm up, feeling the back of the sofa he had been deposited on. It was thin and threadbare, but it was wide enough for him to be flat on his back. He turned to look at a noise coming from somewhere in the room.

“Who is there?” The man called out, tears streaming from the fire in his side. The noise changed, and it sounded like shuffling feet. He felt oddly safe but couldn’t tell why.

“Ah, you are awake, don’t move.” A tall mass spoke about 5 feet from the man’s head, it was oddly familiar. “I’ve steadied the bleeding for now. But we’ve got to wait for Madame Pomfrey to get here so she can close the wound properly. You’ve lost a fair bit of blood and its beyond me to help.” He couldn’t place the voice that was coming from the silhouette, but damn it, something about it scratched at his traumatised memory like a cat begging to get let in from the thunderstorm.

“Who am I?”  The man felt confused, what was his name? He could feel it on his tongue, but it wasn’t coming.

“You are safe. How you managed to get here I don’t know.” Is all he heard before drifting into unconsciousness again, the pain falling away with it.  

The man felt that he was never going to escape the swirling mass of memories and thoughts that were keeping him locked in this unconscious world he found himself in. He kept running through corridors lined with black tiles that were oddly familiar, opening doors on the left and right, trying to escape the endless maze, hearing snatches of conversations coming from floating, grey, masses that he knew he knew but could never quite place. Once or twice he thought he heard a name being called out, one that caused recognistion but could never find who had said it. His searching picked up pace, doors slamming open and closed as he sprinted around trying to find something, someone to talk too, to understand what had happened. But the rooms were always empty, apart from that incessant whispering.

Breathing heavily, He suddenly stopped. He had been down this route before, the room to his right was squawking about somebody called Dobby collecting hats and socks, but this time there was a shiny thing on the floor stuck in the grout between two tiles. He bent down, holding his side in pain despite there being no actual pain, and gently tugged on it. It was about the size of half his palm, made from glass and seemed to the bottom left-hand corner of a flat mirror, the mirroring flaking off the edge. In the mirror was a bearded jaw, that did not seem to be His own. As he looked at it he thought that he could hear another voice he was accustomed to hearing and it gave him chills down his spine.

“Ah, Mr Potter, glad you could join us.” Ignoring it, as he did with the rest of the voices, he stood up and looked to his left, a new door was forming. It wasn’t like the rest of the doors, this one was painted white with a flower-shaped set of windows in the top of the door, whilst the frame was wooden set in brick. It was white and it filled him with great trepidation. He looked down at the base of the door and saw a curious sight. A bundle of blankets seemingly swaddling something. He walked up close to it and looked into and saw to his amazement a baby. He looked the child and on seeing the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead felt suddenly sure that his name was Potter, just like that chilling voice had said. With this in mind, he opened the door and stepped over himself, feeling quite sure he had stepped over his own grave.

He found himself looking up at a dark, wooden, ceiling its beams black with a hundred years of soot. He was still completely oblivious to how he got where ever he was, beyond tired but at least sure what his own name was. His side was far less painful, but he couldn’t roll either direction, some sort of barrier was preventing him from doing so. This being said, on the whole, he felt better.

“Hello?” Harry asked the unnaturally quiet room. There was no response, not even a creak from the floorboards. He asked a bit louder but still got no reply. He lay there, for what seemed an eternity, but nobody came. Soon, he found himself deep in the mists of time, though not before he thought he heard a glass chink.

With a bang he awoke, not the room he previously woke in, but in a cabin that was being shaken around by a thunderstorm, its doors being blasted off its hinges by rain-soaked man, whose face was flat and white but whose eyes were a vivid scarlet. He saw this man first reflected in a second shard of mirror that was lying next to him on the hard floor. In a panic, Harry scooped the shard up, stood and ran past that man through the door. Abruptly the howling wind stopped howling, indeed there was no sound apart from the endless dripping. He found himself on another island, but this time it was in a dark cave. There was an old man, seemingly dying, next to an empty basin. Harry ran over to him and looking at his face it felt like pieces of Harry’s mind were slotting together. He hadn’t yet noticed that the mirror shards had done the same, the lower left and a long piece through the middle. Now the man had part of his jaw and a hooked nose.

“Ahh Potter, you have returned. What foolish adventure are you on now? You can’t save him, you never could.” came the voice from the mirror. This caused Harry to drop the mirror in shock, the new piece ripping through his hand as he did so, causing the cut to bleed profusely over basin causing it to mutate into a giant snake. Out of instinct Harry drew his wand out on it and with a short swish and flick had levitated the snake away from himself and the old man. Ripping a part of his robes off he bandaged his hand up and put the mirror sections into a pocket wrapped in more rags from his robe.

Harry could feel that the voice from the mirror in equal measures infuriated and awed him. Below the old man was crying out for water. Harry responded in autopilot like he had done this before, desperately trying to refill a shell that was discarded by his feet with water from his wand. It wasn’t working, every time he got close to the man’s lips the water drained away. Harry was getting a horrible sense of déjà vu, made worse when the old man started screaming and looking at him directly with his deep blue eyes.

“No, not them. Not my sister.” Harry felt like he had been slapped in the face, the rawness of that nerve tingled.

So, in an attempt to save that man’s life Harry apparated them back to Hogwarts, while still being in the cave, a fact that grated on a part of him. Upon arriving in the grounds, which he found a little odd, he found the old man had gone, replaced by the flat-faced figure causing Harry to scream and punch him in his non-existent nose. This made the man disappear and the noises of battle came screaming into his ears along with a corridor resolving around him. He looked around and saw a man, twice the size of a normal man, crash through a window covering everything in glass. With him were a dog and the arm of a truly gigantic being.  He knew instantly the man’s name, his longest friend in the wizarding world.

“Alrite ‘Arry. You best be movin’ on. People need yeh’ to keep fightin’ an’ livin’.” Hagrid spoke softly to the stunned Harry. Hagrid took a step forward towards Harry and this caused Harry to break from his stunned silence.

“Hagrid, you saved my life once before, and you could be doing it again you know?” Harry said to his longest friend. As he looked away from his face, he saw a piece of the window wasn’t reflecting the same way the other debris. He picked it up after realising that it was the bottom right part of the mirror.  He ran to Hagrid, avoiding the glass as he wasn’t wearing shoes, and hugged him around the middle as tight as he could before Hagrid left to fight the death eaters crawling all over the castle. Harry ran through the castle, dodging the spells coming at him, sending his own curses towards people, as he made his way, inexorably, towards the third-floor corridor. He opened the door and barrelling out of it came a massive three-headed dog that proceeded to body slam several death eaters down the nearest stairs. Harry ducked under the dog’s back legs and through the door which slammed behind him. He found himself in a well-lit, comfy home, stood behind a front door as a cloaked figure glided through it.

“Take Harry and Go!” he found himself saying, quite unexpectedly.  Then all was green.

“Not my sister? Potter, I didn’t know you had a sister.” Harry was jerked awake at the sound of that voice that had been so damned familiar before.

“I don’t have a sister. I think?” Harry slurred as he fully returned to consciousness.

“You live!” The voice said in surprise as Harry opened his eyes and looked vaguely at him, he still couldn’t fully resolve the person but his eyes, oh his eyes, stood out from his face like bright blue spotlights.

“How long… I been out?” Harry croaked out, his throat was dry like he hadn’t drunk anything for a day. Harry’s nurse made a funny throat clearing noise.

“About two days, I don’t expect you remember what happened?” he said passing a cup to Harry, who drank small sips.

“Apart from my name I don’t remember anything, though it feels like my memory is returning. Something about a bad guy and the future?” Harry said continuing to drink the water slowly.

“That’s good, you were extremely beaten up when you arrived, and you were talking in your sleep.” The man said, taking the cup off Harry and placing it on a cabinet.

“What about?” Harry asked, hoping it wasn’t too embarrassing. The man looked uncomfortable for a moment, firelight flickering on his face made him look troubled, but it passed.

“It doesn’t matter, for now, try to sleep some more. You’ll have some company soon enough, other than me.”

“I’ll try,” Harry said, and he closed his eyes and after no time at all found himself asleep, rather than flirting with oblivion.

That sleep did not survive uninterrupted for long, for he found himself stood alone in a forest by a frozen lake, half-naked, with a guy in soaked clothes by him. He held a sword above his head and was about to stab a locket.

“Sorry, but who are you?” Harry asked, looking up at the tall, ginger man, wondering why he was here, wherever here was.

“Uh, I know I left you for a while Harry but really?” The man said, annoyance flitting all over his face. “Come on, let's destroy this thing, have it over and done with.” Harry didn’t push the point, but he couldn’t not feel awkward standing in just his boxers, with a stranger in a forest. Harry looked at the locket closer, a buzzing feeling building in his neck. Without warning, Harry made a funny hissing noise, that had bubbled up from the deep recesses of his mind, into the locket, which sprung open revealing a tiny sliver of mirror no bigger than his thumb. He grabbed it just before the sword was stabbed through the locket. Harry hobbled over to the pile of clothes he saw just by the lake. He pulled on his trousers and t-shirt when he went to pull on his socks, one of which was heavy with the shards of the mirror in there. Sat on a pile of snow, slowly getting colder, Harry dropped mirror on to the snow.

“You know, I always thought your father was the mad one, but I see I was wrong, you are.” The mirror said, pretty languidly, everything below his eyes complete now that both corners were together, as Harry put the most recent strip of glass to the mirror, but it wouldn’t fit together, no matter how Harry tried it.

“Oh, fuck off,” Harry snapped, fighting the urge to throw it into the water. “Tell me what you want from me or go away!” Harry wasn’t sure why he broke at the otherwise inanimate object, possibly the unique ability for the speaker to under his skin. The lips of the man curled into a slight sneer.

“All in good time, Mr Potter, all in good time.” He said, turning out of the frame. Harry growled at the whole bloody situation, his lack of memory of where he was and what that locket was, this goose chase his brain was sending him on and the hovering of the lanky ginger over him, who looked extremely concerned.

That lanky ginger, as Harry looked him, caused a series of images of train carriages, flying cars, giant spiders, dragons, bedrooms and lions to speed through his head. Harry held out his hand and Ron pulled him onto feet.

“Thanks, Ron,” Harry said as they started walking. Ron wrapped his soaking arm around Harry’s shoulders and merely nodded. As they walked Harry’s mind recovered a large chunk of his memory and no longer did Harry feel awkward. Harry closed his eyes listening to the fighting happening between Ron and Hermione. It felt normal, boring, good.

He felt tired, Merlin, he was tired, he could barely stand up, so he climbed into the bunkbed in the tent, pulled the blankets over his dressed body and fell asleep, in this unconscious meandering which he admitted to himself was a bizarre turn of events, as soon as his head hit the pillow. His world had collapsed in on itself and now he just slept a dreamless sleep. This didn’t last as it wasn’t long before he started pacing backwards and forwards in the tent again, his breathing short and laboured. As he turned around the room changed again, this time into an office that made Harry’s heart even beat harder in his chest out of recognition. His pacing got angrier and angrier until the old, dying, man appeared in right front of him, forcing him to stop.

 

“Harry, my dear boy, I am sorry you’ve been struggling, I never meant you to in this much pain.” The old man said sat behind his desk, his hands steepled and his eyes piercing Harry through his half-moon glasses. Harry knew this man was important to him and despite every fibre of his being trying to remember his name it wasn’t coming. But just as he was about to give up, he remembered something else.

“I don’t know you are. But I do know you meant me to die. Like a lamb, innocent and willing, to finish your great game of chess.” Harry said, standing behind the chair holding onto its back, his hands gripping it so hard blood was oozing from his cute, looking straight into the man’s eyes. “I’ve crumbled like ancient paper, turned into confetti, to the point I barely remembered my own name, because I was not supposed to live. I have this feeling I should hate everything about you, but I can’t hate you, and I don’t even know why.” Harry turned on his heels and strolled to the table full of little instruments, picking up one and turning it in his hand like it was the most important thing in the world, choosing not to look at the man.

“Yes, that is true you were meant to die. It is extremely unfair to say I wanted you to die, I was never that unfeeling, I always wanted you to live, to live a life that was denied to you, you know this, we’ve spoken about this before.” The man’s face contorted briefly into a strange emotion, “but you needed to Harry.” His voice was so calm, so soft that it made Harry’s blood boil, a feeling he hadn’t had for at least three years. He turned to look at the old man again, who continued talking. “Your death saved a lot of lives that day. I must say, that everything slotted so nicely into place so that you had the choice to go back, that I refuse to believe you are supposed to be dead yet.” Harry placed the instrument back as he spoke and sat in the blood-stained chair opposite the man, seemingly chewing something over before he replied,

 “I can’t fight any longer, Albus,” the name slipped out of Harry’s mouth without being asked for, but like with Ron, he knew that it was the right one. “I know I’ve lost nearly everyone I’ve ever cared about, but I can’t even remember their names or their faces, and I am shattered, physically, emotionally, mentally. I am spent. I need this pain and sadness to end Albus. It was quiet with you on platform 9 and ¾s and there were no worries, no more grief or ache.” Harry looked up at Dumbledore’s ceiling, tears pooling in his eyes. “I’ve not told anyone else, but I’ve been dreaming of being back there for months. I feel like I have this dementor following me around and nothing I do will shake it except for returning there. I want to end it all. I just need to end it…” Harry continued to stare at the ceiling the weight of his confession that suicide had been on his mind for so long was bearing down it upon him, making it hard to breathe. “But I can’t, and I don’t know if that makes me weak, or strong, and that scares me more than dying.”

“Harry, look at me,” Dumbledore had reached across the table and touched Harry’s cheek. “We both know life is pain and people die. The hardest things are always the most worthwhile.” Dumbledore closed his eyes and murmured, mostly to himself “I wish I had learnt the true meaning of that at your age, I was too blind to see it, too arrogant.” It was Dumbledore’s turn to stand up now as he walked around his office his back to Harry, facing a tall cabinet. “And, of course, Miss Weasley will be extremely angry if you do something rash. Remember you are not alone.” Dumbledore stared at the cabinet for a few moments before saying slowly. “Do you remember the night that Sirius was killed? We were sat in this very room, having a, well let’s call it a discussion, very much like this one.” Dumbledore turned to look straight at him. Harry stared at him like he had two heads.

“Who is Sirius?” Harry asked, and for moment Dumbledore was taken aback.

“Ah, you really are fractured. Not to worry, I _do_ remember that night.” He said putting his wand to his head and drawing out a fine strand of hair. He opened the cabinet and placed the strands into the large basin within. From within Harry could hear a lot of shouting, from what sounded like all the portraits waking up. Dumbledore gestured to him to come and join him at the basin. Harry found himself looking at an exact copy of this office only with a much younger looking Harry standing in front of Dumbledore’s desk at him. Harry felt like he was falling into the basin, until he was stood next to one Dumbledore, looking at and talking to another, younger, Harry.

“I know how you are feeling, Harry,” said, the other, Dumbledore very quietly.

“No, you don’t,” said the younger Harry. Current Harry felt the anger rise in him, a remembered anger for sure, but also an anger at himself for being such a self-absorbed bastard. He was beginning to remember why he was so angry but even still, Dumbledore did know how he was feeling. He turned to his Dumbledore and said over Phineas Nigellus’s correct interjection.

“You really did know how I felt, losing your parents and Arianna. I am sorry was such a self-absorbed, cliché teenager.” Harry said shaking his head. Dumbledore chuckled as he said,

“Oh, my dear boy, you were no worse than most boys of your age I’ve taught, who have suffered a lot less. You were, are and will be a joy to be around the vast majority of the time, this night was just an unfortunate, but fair, blip.” Harry’s mood, lifted since Dumbledore’s little speech, rose a bit more as they turned back to watch themselves.

 “There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry,” Continued other Dumbledore to the back of Harry’s head. “On the contrary . . . the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength.”

“My greatest strength is it?” said Harry, his voice shaking as he stared out at the Quidditch stadium. “You haven’t got a clue. . . You don’t know . . .”

“What don’t I know?” asked Dumbledore calmly. Harry watched himself shake with rage as he turned around and barely keep it together as the younger Harry said.

“I don’t want to talk about how I feel, all right?”

 The other Dumbledore pressed on, “Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human —”

 “THEN — I — DON’T — WANT — TO — BE — HUMAN!” Harry jumped a foot in the air as his younger self yelled and seized one of the delicate silver instruments from the spindle-legged table beside him and flung it across the room. He watched as it shattered into a hundred tiny pieces against the wall. Harry marvelled at the difference in himself, the livid, grieving, Potter and the depressed, grieving one. The former wanted to live but not feel, whilst the latter wanted to die but still be human.

At that moment he realised two things, the first was how far he had come in accepting everything that had happened to him and the second was he remembered this night. “Oh, God Sirius.” Older Harry wept as the younger one kept smashing things. “I remember now, I remember this is the night that you told me about the prophecy,” Harry said, watching himself tugging on the door, still shouting. Harry had yet another, extremely intense, realisation. “Sir, who am I?” Harry asked the tears stopped.

“What do you mean, Harry?” Dumbledore replied, watching himself lay down the start of the track that lead Harry right to here.

“All my life I’ve been ‘The Chosen One.’ or ‘The Boy Who Lived’, never just Harry Potter, it’s always been me and Tom linked. Indeed, this very conversation is about that very fact about the fact that I was prophesied to kill him. Seventeen years of not having my own existence, I am not sure I know how to live as just Harry Potter. Be bloody ironic if that’s what the prophecy meant.” Harry said, the truth of what he was saying making him feel sick.

Dumbledore smiled, it didn’t feel like a smiling matter to Harry, but he was prepared to take Dumbledore on faith again. “Ah, I see. Well, to steal a phrase, that detective is the right question.” Dumbledore said, in that frankly opaque way of his, when he realised something that no-one else does.

“You know, that’s not helpful right?”

“Who ever said I was helpful? But before we leave Harry, my boy, take a look in the mess that your younger self has left. You might find something of value to you.” He said, his eyes were twinkling at their most twinkly. Harry looked over at the silver pieces only to see one was much bigger than the others. He picked up and turned it over in his hands a few times. He could see an eye in this piece, a piercing black eye. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder that pulled him upwards, out of the memory. From around his midriff, he felt a tugging that seemed to throw him across the floor and he found himself no longer on the ground but high in the sky on a broomstick sweeping past the tall stands of the Hogwarts’ Quidditch pitch, the wind whistling past his ears whipping his now ridiculous hair. He flew around the goalposts, watching as Ginny threw the quaffle through the middle post. He saw the snitch fliting around the middle of the pitch and he dived hard towards it. As he got closer to the ground, he tried to close his hand around the ball. He got his fingertips on the fluttering golden ball but failed grasp it fully before slamming into the ground. Sitting up, he coughed and spluttered the, now spit covered, ball into his hands. The little words ‘I open at the close.’ Were found delicately scrawled on the ball in Dumbledore’s glorious hand writing.  

“What close?” He asked out loud, though no-one else was there with him on the green field.

“Well, I don’t know, but I rather think it’s the recovery of your memory. But I could also be wrong, it could just be you losing it. Wouldn’t be the first time would it, Mr Potter.” The disembodied voice said out of his pocket. Harry audibly groaned as he fished the mirrored glass out of his pocket. The glass still only showed the jaw and nose of the unknown and infuriatingly belittling voice. Taking the new piece, he placed it against the mirror, causing it to slot together, showing the completed left-hand side of the man’s severe face. “Don’t tell me you don’t know who I am? All that memory swirling around and you cannot remember my name. Then again you were always an arrogant toe rag.”

Harry was about to respond when suddenly, he opened his eyes again. This time, there was sunlight streaming through the window that appeared to be above the old, dusty, single bed. His hands weren’t cut. The world seemed to be less blurry and dark, but he still needed his glasses. Harry looked around the room and saw a person he did not expect slumped in the chair beside his bed.  

“Mum!?”


End file.
